Adrenaline
by tempest-races
Summary: Too much is not enough, Nobody said this stuff makes any sense, We're hooked again. Adrenaline keeps me in the game, Adrenaline you don't even feel the pain. Wilder than your wildest dreams, When you're going to extremes,It takes adrenaline.
1. Default Chapter

AN: This is a new story I'm working on. It is more action orientated and is not going to be fluffy like my first two stories sorta turned out. Not that I am not proud of those but this one is a different sort of story. Please review and let me know if this prequel has you interested in reading more. There are two songs this is mainly based on, Hell Yeah, by Dead Prez and Adrenaline by Gavin Rossdale. I would really love to hear if people want to read the rest. It is still a work in progress but I have the first 30000 words written. Not to sound needy but review me and let me know if you wanna see how the team fits in and know more. Thank you. :)  
  
Adrenaline A Prequel to the story.  
  
*Several Years ago*  
  
Joe was on the phone, she could see him through the crack the door was open. "Yeah, she's very pretty." He must be talking about one of the whores he was always picking up. There were so many of them. But her brother, well half brother she reminded herself, was something of a big player in this neighbourhood and girls were always thinking that if they slept with him they might get to have him for their own and get the social status that came with that position. But her brother was a user and had no interest in being faithful to anyone.  
  
"She's just 15, and I promise you she's a virgin. I keep too close of an eye on her for her not to be."  
  
Well, that changed things. A 15 year old virgin? That wasn't one of the girls, none of them were virgins. She heard her brother say once he liked a woman who knew what she was doing. And he liked older girls not teenagers. And Joe had been keeping an eye on this girl.  
  
"Well, I'm sick of watching the brat so you can have her for 5 grand, and of course your promise of an alliance between us."  
  
Oh my god, he was talking about her. She was the 15 year old virgin. He was gonna sell her to who ever was on that phone.  
  
"You can come get her tomorrow. The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. Like I said, watching the brat is a pain in the ass. You'll have your hands full just keeping her in line though. She's a willful brat." Joe laughed.  
  
Kat ran to her room and sat with her back against the closed door and cried. She knew there was no love lost between her and her brothers but to be sold like a car to some random old guy just because her brother wanted to make a business deal was quite a blow. What was she gonna do? Not go live with some guy as a sold slave that was for sure.  
  
She pulled herself together and got out her duffle. She threw all her clothes into it and the picture of her and her mom. If only her mom hadn't died last year. This would never happen if her mom was around to keep her brothers in line. But her mom was dead and gone. She wondered again about the dad she had never known. Why had he left them and where was he now? Maybe she'd look him up when she got where she was going. But all she knew about him was he was Italian and he left them when she was about 6.  
  
Then she realized that she didn't know where to go. The only skill she had was her ability to move a car at extreme speeds. Half the reason they shortened her name to Kat was her agility with a car. But she was sick of driving corvettes for her brother. She wanted to race so called 'rice rockets' but that wasn't ever gonna happen if she got sold by her brother. She didn't know where to go, she just knew she had to go soon. She hid the bag then turned on the radio. She'd leave after everyone else was out for the night. Her heart was pounding, blood racing, and she was in a cold sweat. She was running on pure adrenaline. She had to calm down. She turned on the radio.  
  
A song came on. It was called California. It called to her.  
  
On a lonely day I look out on the freeway I can fantasize 'bout the car I drive Don't need the light on I can find my way It's been so long now I have to say  
  
I'm goin' to California Gonna live the life Sippin' on tequila night after night Dreaming of the moment when everything was right A little bit of love goes a long way tonight  
  
I'm on my way heading for the sun That's where I'll stay I'm never goin' back home Do you ever feel like you need a change? Hangout where no one knows your name  
  
That sounded so good. Hang where no one knew her. No one sayng she was only worthwhile cause she was Joe's sister. No Joe. She did need a change, and once she left she could never come back. No more snow. She could dream of a time when everything was right, if she left. Sometimes you had to make your own luck. This was one of those times. California was also on the other side of the country about as far away as she could get.  
  
She waited till she heard her two brothers head out for the night. They'd pour themselves into bed after dawn so she had hours to get away. She knew her brother was counting on her to do what she always did, do homework and go to bed. That's why she had this edge to escape. But she decided to give her brother a little going away present and hope she still had time to get out of town. She went into her older brother Joe's room and lit the curtains on fire. Then she ran back to her room.  
  
She grabbed her bag and ran out to the garage. She took the keys to the car that she called hers. It wasn't and it was hotter then the weather in her destination, the City of Angels. But it was the only car that it wouldn't arouse suspicion if she ran into anyone her brothers knew on her way out of town. It was the car she drove and raced. It was a sweet car but not her passion. It was a 2000 C5 Corvette in Onyx black.  
  
She tore out of the neighbourhood they lived in and didn't stop till she got to the outskirts of New York. She gassed up the car and bought a USA Map. She tore out of there and started across the USA toward sunny California. Who knew what she'd find. Who cared she was driving a stolen car with no license. She'd have a chance at life now. It took her a week of driving all night and sleeping all day in cheep motels to cross the USA.  
  
Thank god she had fake ID. She didn't dare use any of her credit cards because her brother could trace her. She couldn't leave any traceable info. She'd have to assume a new name. She always went by Kat anyway but that wasn't her real first name. She decided to tell people her name was Katharine Leone Stewart. Which wasn't her real last name or her full set of first names. She resolved to make a new life to go with her new name.  
  
Her childhood home burned to the ground.  
  
She got into LA at night and promptly got lost. She ended up in what she could tell was a very bad part of town. She was terrified. After all she was in a very expensive car, and that sign had just said South Central. Even people from New York had heard of this neighbourhood. She saw a store and stopped for directions out of here. As she went to walk into the store she was stopped by three guys. Three big, black, scary looken guys wearing black and red bandanas and with guns stuck in the waistbands of their pants.  
  
"Whatoya think the little white girl is doin' here?" Stacy Kelly asked his two friends as they walked up to her.  
  
"I don't know but she's either lost or stupid. And scared out of her mind I think" Sean Black answered him.  
  
"Nice car she's got." Kale added.  
  
The three men advanced on her and she nearly ran for her car. She just barely held her ground.  
  
Somewhere else in LA people were racing fast imported 'rice rockets' and one team was kicking ass and taking names. 


	2. Stick Up

AN: Well, this is where this story really starts to take off, present day, but the prequel is important to the story line down the road. Please review if you read the story, I really wanna know what people think of this one. This story is not all fluff and romance, it will have an action plot, racing etc. So let me know if you liked it or not and if you wanna read more. I promise the team will all be in here, I just need to develop my own team first. Definitely not a Mary sue. I am doing my best to develop the characters as I see them in my mind. Anywho, on with the story.  
  
*4 Years Later*  
  
"Guys, we been livin' like this for months. What're we gonna do? I can't go on like this, no food, no electricity, livin' in this hell hole. We gotta get some money and get some food and turn the juice back on." She looked around at the three other people in the candle lit room with desperation, hoping one of them would have an idea they hadn't had last month about how to get the electricity turned back on and buy some food. She had about 3 bucks to her name and she knew the other three were in the same boat.  
  
"Kitten, you know we ain't got no idea what to do girl. We been over this time and time again. What we need to do is get a job, that's what we need to do. But how we gonna do that wit no money to clean up an shit is beyond me." And they were all starving too, but Sean figured she knew that already. Kale and Stacy both shook their heads, they had no idea what they were gonna do either.  
  
It was a funny looking grouping to be sure. Three black guys and one small white girl sitting in a room, lit with candles, looking desperate. They were as thick as thieves though, and down for each other no matter what. Kat looked at the three men assembled in front of her. They had hit rough patches before but never anything this bad, or anything that went on this long. They had to do something; none of them could remember the last time they ate. She thought about it harder.  
  
The three guys looked at the bent blonde head in front of them. She was like a sister to them all, no matter how odd the looks they got when they were all together. She needed them, just to be safe in this 'hood, and they needed her because she was the meal ticket, and she kept them all sane. The girl had never let them down and they hoped this time would not be the exception, she always thought them out of the sticky situations. She was just the right mix of innocence and street smart, tough but sweet.  
  
They called her Kitten, her name was Katherine, but call her anything longer then Kat or Kitten and you were in for it. She was so slight of build that she looked delicate. But she was tough as nails and could fight with the best of them. She was small but she was quick and could think on her feet. She had this long blonde hair, strait and to her waist. It was her natural hair color but she had the ends dyed purple. She was smart, too smart for this life, but she had no where else to go and no desire to be anywhere but with her boyz. She could do anything, but this was what she wanted to do.  
  
Now, the three guys were smart too, but in their own street smart, thug liven way, not the way the girl was smart. She had this analytical mind that had never failed to work them out of tough spots before. She came up with the schemes and the guys executed them. The guys could protect themselves and her in any situation and the four of them were a team. They made a damn good one.  
  
But they had been trying to clean up and get a better life for the last few months and while they were not above breaking the law they were trying to live their lives in such a way that they didn't hurt anyone. But crime was all they knew. The guys had been born and raised here in South Central and Kat's family had consisted of brothers who were not above the law either. So an illegal lifestyle was all she knew too. But that didn't mean she couldn't hope to do better for herself. And the guys deserved better too.  
  
She thought on their predicament for another moment. Kat had an idea alright but it was mean spirited, albeit against someone they didn't know. She didn't know if it was crazy or not but hey, it would get them some cash and something to eat. She decided to throw it out to the guys and let them decide. They knew what kind of criminal things were doable more then she did.  
  
"Ok guys, I know you're depending on me to get us out of this, so this is all I can come up with other then one of us getting on welfare or all of us getting crappy jobs doing something we hate, so hear me out, but then feel free to tell me no way and that I am one crazy bitch ok?"  
  
They all nodded. She was a crazy bitch, but they loved her anyway. No way would these three roll with her if she wasn't. She continued,  
  
"Way I see it the easiest way to quick money is to rob someone or something right?" The guys nodded again, wondering where this was going, she was the one who wanted to stop doin' that stuff.  
  
"Ok, it's too damn dangerous to rob the corner stores in this neighborhood because the clerks are all armed and bigger thugs then us, so what we do is call around to all the pizza places till we find one that will deliver to this 'hood. Then we have them deliver it to an address at least 4 blocks away. You all still wit me?" The guys looked intrigued.  
  
"Kay, once we have pizza boy on the way to the 'hood we go wait in a dark place close to the address we sent him to. Then when he gets out of his little piece o'crap delivery vehicle we stick Sean's .38 in his face, no bullets in the thing of course, and tell him to hand over the pizza and all the money he's got. Then we scatter and run back to the fort. We should get a free dinner and since this is Friday night the guy should have a bit of dough on him by this point. The old prank n' scatter only for a serious reason." She smiled at them. "But again feel free to say no way."  
  
"Hell girl, that's way tamer then what we did for money 'for we met you. This'll be a cake walk. You guys in?" Kale looked at Sean and Stacy, they were down for whatever, they had to eat.  
  
"I'm in." Stacy confirmed.  
  
"Count me in." Sean said. "Best use that ol .38 has seen in a while.  
  
"Kay, let's do this thing." Kat clapped her hands and jumped up. This was crazy but it should work. They went to the payphone on the corner. She grabbed the phone book and looked in the yellow pages under p for pizza. "Where should we send the guy? Kale, you been 'round this 'hood a long time, where's dark, easy to run away from in at least three directions, and far enough away for it to be hard for pizza boy to track us, but close enough to be an easy sprint?"  
  
Kale gave her an address. She called around and finally hit Domino's. They were the only ones who would deliver down here at this hour. She ordered 4 large pizzas with the works, figuring any more then a pizza a person was asking for trouble when they ran. They went home to wait. "'Kay, he'll be here, or there, I guess, in 30 minutes. Sean, you got the gun ready? You're sure it's not loaded right?"  
  
"Yeah, it's ready, and I ain't had bullets for it in so long I'm sure it's not loaded. I hope this guy is carrying enough money to make this worth while Kitten."  
  
"Me too but hey, it's a hot meal either way right?" She laughed at her own joke. "Well you guys blend in but I'll stick out. How'm I gonna disguise myself?" The three guys looked at her. With bandanas on their heads and dressed in all black, the three of them could be any three guys in this 'hood, but she on the other hand was pretty easy to spot. First off the amount of white girls around here was small, and the amount of white girls with hair so blonde it was pretty well white, and to their waist with purple ends was even smaller.  
  
Stacy looked her over. "Well, first off we gotta put that hair of yours under somethin'." He rooted around in his drawer and came up with a Lakers ball cap. "Put it under this. Wait, braid it." Stacy waited while she did so. Then he got out a bandana and used it to hide her hair so that none of it showed out from under the bandana. Then he put the cap on her head. "Ok, well if they ask what colour your hair was, no one'll know. Now to dress you so that they can't describe you either. You guys think we can make her look like a guy?" She was downright skinny since it had been months since they had money to eat much, so a baggy shirt would take care of disguise her upper body. She had those crazy platform boots to make her tall enough to pass for a guy, and if they put her in baggy jeans of theirs then it might just work.  
  
The other guys had come to the same conclusion. Sean was huge, even the forced hunger strike hadn't made him lose much weight, so his pants were out, but he put her in one of his black tee shirts. Kale was the slim one so he dug out a pair of his blue jeans and she pulled them on. With her boots on she was about 5'8". She put a belt on to hold the pants up around her hips, but left them falling off her ass a bit to look like a gang banger. Then she put on one of Kale's hoodies and put the hood up over the hat. It hid most of her face.  
  
"Well, will I do, do ya think?" She asked them.  
  
"It'll be dark; I think you'd pass for a guy." Sean answered her.  
  
"Shit, times up, we gotta get over there if we are gonna beat the pizza boy." Stacy said. They stepped outside into the south central evening like 4 warriors and they all ran over three streets across alleys and scoped out the way home. They all hid just as the guy pulled up in the Domino's Ford Festiva.  
  
*Shit, I can outrun him in his fucking car if I have to.* Kat though. It was a white guy, or maybe Italian, which was surprising to them all. They figured that Dominos must have the biggest, badest, blackest guy they had ever seen to be willing to drive into this neighborhood at night alone with money. Not this wiry white guy. But white boy was in the right place, at the wrong time. Well for him at least. Right time for them. They ran up to him from every direction.  
  
He had known delivering to this area was stupid but that punk ass kid he worked for had said that they had to deliver to where the customers were. But the man had known that no guy who wasn't armed and dangerous went to this part of town after dark unless he had a death wish, or wanted to be robbed. The pizza boy was very grateful in that moment that he drove the company car. If he had been driving his own car it would likely be stolen as of right now. Who would steal this piece of shit?  
  
"Gimme the Pizzas and you live!" Sean shouted and stuck the .38 in the guys face. The guy handed the food over without a fight. Sean felt like the biggest dumb ass ever robbing this pathetic white boy of his fucking pizzas. He use to be one of LA's most notorious gang leaders, now he was stealing pizzas from a white dude in south central with an unloaded .38 pistol. He shook his head. Kale caught on to Sean's sudden disgust but they had come too far to give up without the money now.  
  
"Now give us all your money man! Now! Do we look like we're kidden'?" Kale shouted at the guy when he hesitated. The man handed over his money. Kat felt bad on one hand for doin' this and on the other hand she was both high on the adrenaline and turned on by the rush.  
  
And the guy they were robbing was hot. She had hung back in the shadows mostly, trying to stay behind the guy, hoping he would be convinced she was a man, because even from back where she was she could tell the pizza boy was sexy. The last thing they needed was for the guy to see her checking him out and then he would no doubt figure she was a chick. And that would not do. Three black guys and a white girl was easier to locate then 4 black guys or three black guys and a white guy. The wad of money sexy pizza guy gave to Kale looked sizable too.  
  
They held him a gunpoint for a second longer while they searched the car. They didn't find anything further so they all took off running in separate directions.  
  
The guy didn't know which one to follow so he just swore as he watched them run away from him. He would swear one of them had been white, he thought he had caught a glimpse of a white face under that hood, and he would swear that even though the person was dressed in black like the other three that it had been a female. Something about that ass as she ran away. Could have been a dude he guessed but he was going with female for now. If there was one thing this guy knew, it was the ladies. He could only give basic descriptions of them all too because they all had bandanas on their heads and faces. 


	3. It's all coming together

Chapter 3 - It's all coming together  
  
He climbed back into the crappy car he drove for this crappy job and figured he'd had it. The job was just a sham anyway. They had all gotten part time crappy jobs to lend an air of respectability to their house but they didn't need the money and it wasn't worth the aggravation. Driving this crappy car around and putting his life on the line to deliver pizzas. Fuck. If they needed more money then they could deliver pizzas. He was out. Now to go back to the pizza place, tell them he was robbed and quit.  
  
He went to the pizza store and told them to find a new driver, no way was he ever doing that again after being held up at gunpoint. He had known better then to go down there at night. He only did it because he didn't know how to get out of it without quitting and at the time he hadn't wanted to quit. But damn it, he was the only one on his team above carrying heat of his own. If it had been any of the other guys they would have pulled out a gun of their own and kept their money. That done he headed back to the house in his own car. His baby. Nothing crappy about her. She was a big marvelous piece of Japanese engineering. He belonged driving her, not some crappy domestic shit box.  
  
He headed back to his house, to tell the team he had no intention of working anywhere but the shop ever again. He walked in the house and found Dom, who was like the leader of their team. He told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn't doing it again and they could dream on if they thought different. He told Dom all about how he had been robbed at gunpoint because the damn kid manager had told him that he had to deliver to that crappy neighbourhood even when he refused to go. Dom wanted to know what the people who had done it looked like.  
  
Pizza boy told him one had been about 6'2" and built, that was the guy who had the gun. The second one who took his money had been taller, not much, but taller, and build like an athlete. Lean and mean. Then the third guy, who hadn't done much of anything but look menacing had been 'bout 6' even and had much the same build as the second guy. Then pizza boy started to talk about the forth guy. He told Dom he couldn't shake the fact that the fourth one had been a girl. Dom laughed. Then he noticed that his friend was serious. Dom asked him how he came to the conclusion it was a female.  
  
Pizza boy told him he just had a feeling, that even in those baggie boy's pants that ass had been too soft, and too round to belong to a man. And she had only been about 5' 8" or so and very slight of build. Plus the way the guys looked for her, to protect her. It was fairly obvious to Dom that his friend was sure it had been a girl. Well that should make it easy for Brian to have some of his police friends track them down. How many groups of 3 thugs and a white girl could there be in that area.  
  
The three Clyde's and Bonnie met back at the house, all four were sure the guy hadn't followed them. They were out of breath but laughing about the caper they just pulled. It had gone better then Kat had even foreseen. It had been so easy, almost too easy. But they were sure the guy didn't follow and no one told stories in this neighbourhood.  
  
Kat took the first piece of pizza and stuffed her face, then with her mouth full asked Kale,  
  
"How much'd we get?" Kale was busy counting it.  
  
"Not too shabby, we got about 200 bucks." Kale answered her.  
  
"Well that'll turn the electricity back on for a few months and buy some food. That's awesome. But now we gotta figure how we're getting the money to get my car back on the road. You all know the only permanent way to get out of this situation is to get me racing again, my pit crew." She giggled. Everyone was in high sprits now that they had all stuffed themselves full of pizza. There was even one left over when they were all done. She put it in the fridge, even though it didn't work it would keep the bugs out of it so they could eat it the next day.  
  
"We could pull this job again. It worked well enough." Stacy was a fan of easy money and if this had been any easier then it would have been laughable. "Did you see the look on the white boy's face? I think he shitted in his pants." Stacy doubled over laughing.  
  
"Stacy as easy as this was, it didn't make enough to fix the car and we can't do it again and again cause they are going to pinpoint our location if we do it too much. Plus do you think very many pizza boys are going to come around here now that that one is going to go running his mouth about how 4 guys robbed him at gun point? I think now that we have some money one of us is gonna have to get cleaned up and get a job. I think that someone is me." She felt like she was the one who would find something the easiest. She could wait tables or clean motel rooms. It would all be easier if she had the car running. She would have to be able to walk or take the bus in a reasonable amount of time.  
  
Sean spoke up. "I can make us some money quick, you know I can Kitten."  
  
"Sean, not if it means going back to selling drugs you can't."  
  
"Kitten, you can't have morals against selling drugs when you just robbed a guy at gunpoint."  
  
"That's not the point Sean and you know it. If you start dealing again then there's a good chance you'll start using again and we don't need that, you don't need that. You almost died." Her voice dropped down low and her eyes teared, thinking of when Sean overdosed and they almost lost him.  
  
"I can deal and stay clean Kitten, I learned my lesson."  
  
"I don't want some other friend to go through what we did Sean. Robbing the guy was one thing, I mean he's scared and he doesn't come down into south central anymore, big deal. Selling drugs to people is like stealing their lives. We may as well just shoot them and take their money. I mean, what if someone you sold drugs to died because of it. I couldn't live with myself knowing that we sold drugs to people to finance my car and then some mother got told her son was dead or somethin'."  
  
"You're right Kitten, but damn, the money's good and we could have enough in two days to fix the car. I mean no one dies off weed. I could just sell weed right?"  
  
"No drug trafficking. I'm gettin' a job where I make minimum and I'll skim off the top of the register if I can, ok? If you all wanna get some sort of legit jobs or even run interference for some of the guys around then that's fine, but no drugs. We in agreement?" She met three pairs of brown to the point of being black eyes with her own wide green gaze.  
  
"No drugs," they all answered. Stacy and Kale knew a guy who always needed help collecting on his debts. He paid in cash, a percentage of how much you collected for him. He was very, how did they put this, mafia, but they had worked for him before with no trouble. They looked at each other and they knew what the other was thinking with that one glace. They knew they would do it and they knew they would not tell Kat. She'd worry.  
  
Kat knew they were up to something but she didn't want to know what. She knew that they were big boys and had been doing this sort of thing long before they met her. They could take care of themselves but she still worried. They were all the family she had. She called them all her brothers and she didn't mean in that way that every black man was a brotha' either. She knew she was white but she guessed she was what would be derogatorily called a wigger. She was white but she felt black and she acted like she had been raised right along side these guys in the 'hood. She fit in enough that most people on their block didn't mess with her or bother her the way they would normally have done with a white girl living in this area. She wasn't the only one but there weren't a lot of them. Plus most of the block, and the whole area still feared the guys. They had been scary before the four of them went mostly legit.  
  
"Well, I'll go get the juice turned back on in the morning guys, and then go looken' for job. You all can do the same, try to find somethin' to make some money. I mean we're not all getting to races in my car, once it's fixed, so we need some kinda car for the other two of you to ride in. Maybe a Civic at first then somethin' better." Kat went over to her mattress and lay down. The place was just one big room with a small kitchen and bathroom attached and they all slept in the one room on basically bare mattresses on the floor. Kale blew out the candles and they all went to sleep.  
  
Kat woke up at 8:30 the next day and ate a piece of pizza for breakfast. Then she got ready to head downtown. She let the guys sleep. She knew without asking the kind of work they were gonna get wouldn't be in big demand till after lunch. Well Sean could work at a garage, if he could find a job in one. He was the only real mechanic among them, the rest just grew up knowing cars. She got dressed and brushed her teeth. She had to do something semi respectable with her hair.  
  
She brushed it all out then put it in cornrows just across the top and sides of her head and then left it long in the back. It was off her face and looked semi tidy. If she just brushed it, it wasn't flat and fine it was kind of messy, like she crimped it but she never did. She could smooth it out if she felt like it but she liked it the way it was for now. She loved her hair but understood it wasn't a plus if she was looking for a job in the food service industry. She finished getting dressed in low rise flare jeans and a black tee shirt. She didn't plan on getting any interviews today, just hitting the government job listing.  
  
She walked out of the bathroom and saw that Sean was awake. She waved at him as she headed to the door and he got up and walked to the door behind her. Sean and she were tighter then she was with the others. She had dated him for awhile but it hadn't worked out. They were too close, like siblings for a sexual relationship to work. Thank god they had figured that out before they had sex and messed up their friendship. For all the hardships they had been through she still felt she was one of the luckiest people around that she had three such great friends.  
  
"Kitten, you be careful, and come strait home if anything seems strange to you. I don't want you taken a job at any business in this part of town either. You ride the bus to a nicer part of town to look for work." Sean knew that the influence that he and Kale and Stacy had would only take her so far and that she wouldn't be safe in a lot of the local businesses. There was too much prostitution and drug use and selling around here.  
  
"I'll be fine Sean. I'm going to the electric company and then to the job bank. I'll come home for supper. One of you guys might want to try to get some food stamps if you get time. I hear if you give them a sad story about how the county is already paying the rent they'll give you enough for a month. Worth a shot. The more money we don't spend on food the more to put into the car."  
  
"I'll do that. I got a lead on a mechanics position down the block. Bein' a local boy might help me out this time. Be careful Kitten." 


	4. I'm lookin for Harry

Chapter 4 - I'm looking for Harry  
  
"Ok, I get it bro, I'll be fine. See you at supper. If you get good food I'll cook for us on the stove that will finally work again cause we can afford electricity. Woowhoo." Kat smiled at him and winked. He winked back and she walked out the door. He knew she was as street as the guys but she was so small he worried about her. They had taken her in about 4 years ago. She had been 15 at the time, and a runaway.  
  
She was already street smart then, but Brooklyn, New York street smart, not South Central LA street smart. They were different. The three guys had taken one look into her big, green, scared eyes and had been hooked. They had been the worst sort of thugs at the time, they had been in a gang and were notoriously dangerous. It was one of the worst gangs in LA, the Tigers. But they had all fallen for the slip of a girl. Even then she was all big blonde hair and big green eyes. They all had a soft spot for Kitten. They had all killed men, and well, they hadn't been nice guys to cross with. But when it came to Kitten, she had them all wrapped around her little paw. And that had started the move over to legitimacy. No one had wanted to have to tell Kitten that one of her adopted brothers had been killed, and in the world they lived in it would have happened sooner or later. Or one or more of them would have gone to jail. And where would Kitten be then?  
  
She had looked kind of like a Persian kitten, all face and fur. So they nicknamed her Kitten. No way had she been a Kat yet. She had still not grown into a Kat as far as Sean was concerned. She was his kitten. And always would be most likely. He never had a sister but he knew how he would feel about one now. At least they had gotten to her in time to save her from being caught up in a prostitution ring. He couldn't imagine his sweet Kitten having her innocence striped that way, likely ending up strung out on heroin too. They must have been a site back then. The badest gang in LA taking care of a 15 year old run away. She had been the only girl in the gang, not a skank around gang members. The leader of the gang, Conner, was Sean's older brother. So they still knew all the gang members and Kitten had almost been like their mascot. They were the Tigers and they had a tiger kitten of a girl to take care of. Watching the whole gang soften around Kitten was comical. That was one of the main reasons Kitten was safe in the 'hood. The whole place knew that Kitten was under the protection of the Tigers. And no one wanted to mess with Conner and his gang. They were ruthless. But not with Kitten. She could do anything and still be their little sweetie.  
  
She was so sweet. But so tough too. Sean guessed being raised by her idiot brothers at first then three thugs only between 3 and 5 years older then she was had made her turn out how she had. She hadn't had it easy for the first 15 years of her life but for the last four she had been spoiled rotten up till a few months ago. They always gave her what she wanted, even if she put up a fight about accepting the gifts. But in her innocence, even after the life she had lead to that point, she had given them some of theirs back. It was like in saving kitten, she had saved them right back. Even in a powerful gang the bleakness of the life of most people in this part of LA could get you down. But kitten had had the worst possible start to her life since she was 6, when her dad left them and her mom died not much before she left home, leaving her to her brothers. So she ran, the guys picked her up and the four of them were together for life from that point on. But the start she'd had and how she'd grown up had almost made her too independent. Sometimes everyone needed help but you'd never catch Kitten asking for it. She'd sooner suffer or hurt instead of ask for anything. She took a long time to learn to trust anyone.  
  
She had told them she ran to cali to race, so they had put her behind the wheel of a car. Back in those days they were rollin' in money, and their Kitten had to have whatever car she wanted. She had had brothers back home and they had run a chop shop. She knew American heavy metal, corvettes, vipers, t-birds. That kind of car. But Kitten had always had a taste for the refinement of a well tuned import. She wanted one, and she wanted to race. She told them that was why she came to this part of the world. She heard that southern cali was the place to race. She planned on making enough to buy her import and then race it. She had raced in Corvettes in New York but the scene was smaller, not as competitive as the import scene in LA. The fact that had only been 15 at the time hadn't seemed to bother her and she had just completed a cross country flight from her brother with no license, so they figured she could drive and race without one in LA too. What did they care, not like they gave much concern to the law.  
  
They of course wondered why she had run clear across the country and hadn't been buying that it was because she wanted to race against the best. They had slowly found out that her oldest brother had been the worst sort of criminal and she had found out just in time to stop him that he had been planning on selling her to a business acquaintance to further cement their relationship. She stole one of their stolen cars and ran. By some twist of fate they had found her on her first night in cali.  
  
She had just sold the corvette she had taken from her brothers and had no where to stay. The rest as they say was history. She had put her money in and because she was their little kitten they had kicked in the rest of the money needed to buy her car. It was in a garage at Stacy's mother's house now. She had been in a wreck with it, it had been after they got out of the gang and times were tight. There had been no money to just get it fixed so she had been working at it as money allowed. She had it almost ready to go again and another 700 or 800 would see it road worthy and ready to race. Her and Sean had to do all the work because they could not pay anyone to do it, there was no money. So if Kitten was going to be working and so was Sean it would be a long time before it was finished. He was glad that he had some formal training in mechanics.  
  
The guys knew that Kitten could win enough to keep them livin' in style and relatively legally at that. She was good. Then again what she hadn't known when she got to LA she learned from the gang. She could run from the cops out of any area of the city and not get caught. The gang had all taught her to drive fast but controlled. She could race and she would win. She'd been doing ok before the wreck.  
  
What kitten didn't know was if they didn't get her racing again soon the guys were going back to the gang. They couldn't stand to see Kitten wearing rags, doing her own hair, and never having enough to eat. Not that she ever complained. She was the best little trouper about the whole thing. But they hadn't minded being in the gang, really, and they figured Kitten would be happy when they had food to eat, a better apartment, with a bedroom just for her like they use to have, and all the money needed to keep her damn imported car purring. The thing was as fickle as the cat his owner was named after.  
  
Sean woke the other two boys and then headed down to the garage on the corner. Stacy and Kale got dressed and went to see Tony. They got lots of work and went to start collecting Tony's money. It was going well. Kitten would be happy. They all would be. If they could just get enough money to fix her darn car. They were all happier as her pit crew then as street thugs. The pay wasn't as good but it sure was safer.  
  
Kat got the electric turned back on then headed to the government office. She started to look up jobs based on cars. Some store called 'The Racer's Edge' was looking for a part time sales clerk. *Hey, I can do that.* she though. *I have all the experience, I build my car on my own pretty well and I know import race cars.* She went to the mall first. She hoped the guys would forgive her for buying a new top but she couldn't go to a place like this one was bound to be looking like something the cat dragged in. She laughed to herself at that. She hit the mall and went to the first store that sold clothes that looked like they would suit her. She hadn't been shopping in so long, there hadn't been money for it.  
  
She wondered what kind of top she should buy. It was a car place, so not too dressy, but then again she was applying to work the counter, so not garage scruffy either. She tried on a baby tee that was black with blue flames on the sleeves and hem. This'd work out ok. She looked clean and sharp but not Barbieish. Which she knew she had to watch out for with her hair. She was glad she didn't have the Barbie figure to go with it.  
  
She bought the top, it was on sale for 10 bucks, then headed to this store. She got there after 30 minutes on the bus. It would be about 30 minutes by bus from her house too. That was ok. She walked up to the counter.  
  
"Hey, I'm looking for Harry." She told the man at the counter. He was hot stuff, this guy. All blonde good looks and tall, tanned, muscled physique. And he had a killer smile, she though as the man smiled at her for the first time.  
  
"Hi, I'm his partner Brian. He's not in, can I help you?"  
  
"Well I came about the job you have posted. I am very interested in that position."  
  
"Oh yeah, you know cars?"  
  
"I sure do. I have a car, but it is not street ready yet so I can't drive him. But I built it myself. I've raced it too. I've also raced c5 corvettes and Vipers, and all sorts of other cars back east. I have no formal mechanics training but I know what I'm doing around a car." She smiled back at Brian. She wanted this job. The store was clean and well lit and she'd bet she would get some sort of discount on parts.  
  
"Well, what do you know about computers? You need to be able to use a computer fairly well for this position. It involves more counter work and ordering parts with the computer then it does working on cars, but the fact that you know what parts people mean when they can't tell you the proper name is a good thing. Now do you know the part lookup system?"  
  
"Honestly, no I don't know the part lookup system. But I know my way around a computer. I'm a super fast learner when it comes to computers too. I know I could do this job, and I'm gonna level with ya, I really need it." She could sense Brian had a kind heart, and by leveling with him to a certain extent it might give her the edge.  
  
"Well, since you were honest about that, I'm gonna tell ya, we got a lot of applicants for the position, but none of them as honest as you seem. They all wanted the job for the staff discount. The fact that you need the job makes me think you'll do a good job and stick around after your car is built, where as most of the guys I got in here applying so far are only looking to save some money while they build their cars." Brian looked at her earnest face. She seemed so innocent but yet not. He was going to take a chance on her. Well pending Harry's ok. But then Harry would likely as not go along with him because he was just as discouraged by the caliber of the people they had coming in as Brian was. "You want the job? You can start Monday if you do. It's only part time, but if you need more I might be able to hook you up with some hours at a friend's café not far from here."  
  
"Of course I want the job, and I may take you up on the café hours too. I've been out of work a long time." Kat smiled at him. Or if she was honest she'd never had to work before. She'd been too young to work in New York and the guys hadn't heard of her doing anything harder then cooking them dinner and hangin' out with the homies all day. She could put in the work here she knew but it had never been required of her before.  
  
"So you know I'm Brian, who are you?"  
  
"Katherine, but call me Kat. Or else." She winked at him to take the sting out of the words.  
  
"Ok Kat, can you be here at 1 Monday and I'll start to show you around and start to show you the computer system? You can work 1-6 for the rest of the week and we can see about getting you working at that café next week if you want. The hours there will be 9-12 Monday to Friday, that'll give you an hour to eat and get back here by 1 for your hours here."  
  
"Sounds good Brian. I really appreciate it." She smiled at him and told him she'd see him tomorrow. He nodded. She was glad they had the electric back on. She'd need to make sure she was up by 12 and she loved to sleep so she never got up early unless she was worried like she had been this morning. She walked out front of the store and sat down at the bus stop out front. An older guy walked into the store.  
  
"Hey Harry. I filled the job." Brian told Harry with some satisfaction considering Harry hadn't been able to.  
  
"Yeah, with who?"  
  
"The Blonde girl that you must have passed on your way in."  
  
"You mean the one waiting for the bus? What does she know about cars?"  
  
"Plenty. She has a car, she said it's not roadworthy yet. There was just something about her Harry. She knows her shit and she really needs the job. She's not some kid looking to get cheap parts. Trust me on this one. Did you say she was waiting for the bus?"  
  
"Yeah, well she's sitting at the bus stop."  
  
"I'm gonna go run her home then since you're back now."  
  
"Fine Brian, but bring her in here first so I can meet her."  
  
"Sure thing." Brian went outside and sure enough there was Kat waiting for the bus. "Hey, that was the big boss, come meet him Kat."  
  
She got up and followed Brian into the store with a smile. She liked Brian, he was nice, and seemed honest. Brian introduced her to Harry. Harry took to her right away. She reminded him of how his daughter would likely be like if he were to meet her. He left her mother years ago and the woman would not let him see his daughter. That was before he ever moved to California. He asked her what her name was and she told him Katherine, but he better call her Kat like everyone else. Harry laughed. His little girl had been full of spunk just like Kat. He hadn't seen her since she was 6. Her name had been Skyelyn. As far as attitude Kat was going to fit in just fine.  
  
They talked cars for awhile, and she did seem to know what she was talking about. She refused to tell them what she drove before it was all fixed up. She promised they would be the second group to see it after her boys. They agreed with reluctance. She looked at the clock and started. She was gonna miss the last bus. She told them she had to rush if she was gonna catch her bus. Brian told her not to worry about it, he was gonna run her home. She told him that was not a great idea.  
  
Brian couldn't figure out why she would rather take the bus. He would drive her home in an air conditioned truck. Harry insisted that she let Brian drive her home. She looked from one to the other. 


	5. Nice Try Cutie

Chapter 5 - Nice Try Cutie  
  
"No offence, but Brian doesn't belong in my neighbourhood. I live down in south central. I don't think he wants to be down there on his own after he lets me off at home. I'm fine to take the bus and my boys are waiting for me to get home." She looked at them expecting them to let her take the bus now.  
  
"I was a cop. I think I can drive downtown for a few minutes and take care of myself Kat. I'll be fine. Let's go."  
  
"Ok Brian, it's your life." She followed him out to his truck and climbed in. They chatted about life and stuff on the way to her place. He let her out and she told him to drive strait back the way he came, out of the 'hood and back his own way. He told her he would be fine and headed off. And he was fine, he headed back to Dom's and told the team how they had finally found someone to take the job and how Brian wanted them to consider her for the morning hours at the café. Dom told Brian to bring her down and they'd see. Dom wasn't hiring anyone without meeting them. Much as he trusted Brian's judgment. Brian was hoping to offer her a place to stay with the team. She didn't belong in the neighbourhood she lived in.  
  
Dom asked Brian if he had any info on the robbers yet. Brian told him no, but now that he thought of it he had just driven Kat home to that same area. He should have asked her if she knew of a group of 4 guys who would hold up a delivery guy. He would try to remember to do that on Monday when he saw her again.  
  
Kat let herself into the house and found she was the first one home, but the cupboards had groceries. *Go Sean* she thought and started on supper. She made chicken, and potatoes and corn. It was the first real meal they all would have eaten in so long she forgot what the last one had been. The guys trickled in. Sean first. He had gotten the job at the garage. She hugged him and then he sniffed the air.  
  
"What's that I smell?" He asked.  
  
"That is home cooken'. You forgot what it smelled like too huh?" She laughed with him. Now if Kale and Stacy would just get home they could eat. Just as she though that in they walked. "Hey guys, how went the day of working for money?"  
  
"I don't know, you tell me?" Stacy said as he threw down a stack of cash.  
  
"Oh my god, Stacy, Kale, I can't believe you made all this money in one day. I got a job and I won't see any money for two weeks or more. You made, what is that, two grand, in one day. What did you do for it? No wait I don't wanna know. Dinners ready." She started to dish up dinner and the guys all went to talk about the day they had. They congratulated Sean on getting the garage job. Now two of em had steady work. Cause at this rate no one would owe Tony any money within a few weeks. But they could make up to 20000 in that time and that would keep them awhile. They didn't know what had made Kitten decide it was ok to break the law again but they weren't complaining at this point. They had lights, a fridge, and food. Kitten was a fair cook. It occurred to them that they never asked Kitten what she got work doing.  
  
They headed back into the kitchen. Stacy asked her where she was working at herself. She told him The Racer's Edge, an auto parts store in a good part of town. That the guy she was working for had even insisted on driving her home, he wouldn't let her take the bus back to this part of down. It was only part time for now but the guys had made enough to fix the car and she would be racing again soon now. Plus the guy, Brian, though he could get her another part time job with complimentary hours that would almost make it full time. They might even be able to get out of the 'hood soon. They looked around at each other. They had finally gotten out of the funk. And it was all because they robbed a pizza boy.  
  
Kat had been thinking of the pizza boy since yesterday. She felt so bad for him. He had looked so mad about what happened. Not scared like the guys all thought. Kat knew he had been pissed. She guessed that delivering pizza was not what he was use to doing and that in his real life he was one of the top dogs, not one of the underdogs.  
  
Oh well, it was not like it had been his money. He probably quit the pizza delivery job though. She wouldn't have done it again herself after being robbed at gunpoint. But on the other hand look where pulling that job had gotten them. Her car was as good as fixed with the money Kale and Stacy had given her and then they could save up some money and move into a good neighborhood. And they had needed that small boost having food and electricity had given them to get all that other stuff done. It had reminded them that they were still a team. She could even get the guys to let her spend some of the money on new clothes for her new job. She didn't complain to the guys cause she didn't want them to join the gang again but she missed the times when they had money and the guys all spoiled her rotten. She knew they did too much for her, but she loved being their Kitten. They were the best. Not too many girls were as lucky as she was.  
  
They sat down to eat and the guys ate all the food she made. They all needed to put some weight on now that they had food again. Funny how fast things had turned around in one day. They did the dishes and then watched some TV on the old black and white they hadn't bothered to sell because they only would've gotten like 20 bucks for it anyway. Then they went to bed. No one had to get up on Sunday.  
  
Kat spent Sunday giving herself a manicure and pedicure. And she took her hair all down and washed and conditioned it into soft waves to the small of her back. Now she looked respectable. She was going to have to get out her good clothes. She had put them away when she moved here but she was going to have to dress up for work now. That sounded funny. Sometimes she missed the life she had when the guys had been big dawgs in the neighbourhood. She knew it was selfish but no one had messed with them, and they had everything. She snapped out of it and reminded herself that they were as good as racing again and she would be back on top of the world again soon.  
  
She made supper for everyone then made a lunch for Sean and herself for the next day, Monday. They again watched some TV and went to sleep. Sean was gone when she woke up. She didn't get up till 11am so he was already down at the garage. She got dressed and then woke Kale and Stacy up. She made them some lunch then headed out. She caught her bus and was at 'The Racer's Edge' about an hour early. She walked in and smiled at Harry and Brian.  
  
"Kat, you're very early. That's good to see." Harry smiled down at her. She was looking good, her hair and nails were done. It was plain to see she was happy to be working with them. That should work out to the advantage of everyone.  
  
"Mornin' Kat." Brian said. "You ready to start to learn the system?" She nodded. Brian spend the morning teaching her how to use the part system and was shocked at how quick she caught on. He even left her on her own a few times and she did great. He was always within ear shot just in case. She met Hector and Edwin. Brian's team wasn't in but then they rarely were, since they could just get Brian to bring home what they needed.  
  
Kat had the money to order her parts with her. She told Brian that when her shift was over. She told him she wanted him to place the order for her and tell her what she owed. She needed a lot of parts. Brian ordered them all. He couldn't tell what kind of car she had specifically based on what she ordered but it was definitely an import of some sort. The parts would be in the next day. She headed home.  
  
Stacy and Kale were already home, having a beer when she got home. They had made another 2000. They put it away cause they knew that the work they were doing wouldn't last. Kat started supper. Sean got home and showered cause he was all grease. They ate then decided to catch a movie. She told them that she had ordered all her parts and got a sweet discount on 'em too and she was going over to Stacy's mom's the next night to see how close to done she could get.  
  
The car had been wrecked some time ago. She had been in a race with the car and someone had run her off the road. The car had flipped and messed up both the body and the front end. She was lucky she hadn't been hurt very badly. She had the body ready for paint and the parts coming in would finish fixing the engine and front clip.  
  
They caught the movie then went home to bed. Kat had never been a big partier but the guys had. There was a time not so long ago when they all would have been at some party and the guys all would have been wasted. Now they rarely did anything like that. They should go to a party this Friday coming to celebrate the turn for the better they had gotten she decided. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.  
  
She woke up to a knock on the door the next morning. She didn't know who would be at the door at this hour. It was only 9am. Shit she didn't want to be up yet. And where were the guys? She knew Sean was at work already but Kale and Stacy should be home. Oh well. She went to the door and looked out the peep hole. If she didn't know them then she wasn't opening the door at all. She grabbed the gun and stuck it in the back of her shorts. It was cops. Oh shit, could they have been found out? No way. Not in this neighbourhood. There wouldn't be witnesses even if there had been sort of thing.  
  
She left the chain done up and opened the door just a crack.  
  
"Can I help you?"  
  
"Hello miss, we're just investigating a crime that happened the other night in this area. Mind if we come in?"  
  
"Well, yes I do really. I'm not dressed for company, you woke me, and I'm home alone right now. If you wanna ask me questions you can ask them from there." She knew she didn't need to ask them in. And they didn't need to see the obvious fact that 4 people lived there either.  
  
The cops thought she was being perfectly reasonable in this neighbourhood. "Well miss, you didn't hear anything about 4 guys holding up a delivery driver did you?"  
  
She sighed mentally that they were looking for 4 guys and told the cops she hadn't heard a thing, but then she rarely left the house but to work and that was a while away from here. The cops couldn't blame her. They could tell she was a small girl even through the crack she held the door open. They weren't looking for a girl, even though someone had told them there was a chance one was involved. They didn't buy it. They thanked her and left.  
  
Kat fell back against the door and panted for a second. She had been ready to explode, she had been sure they had found them for a minute there. She ran to the window and watched the patrol car pull away. There was another knock at the door then. Now what? She asked herself and went to the door. It was the guys, they couldn't get in because of the chain. She opened the door.  
  
"What did the cops want Kitten?" Stacy asked her, seeing she was upset by whatever it had been.  
  
"Just to ask if I knew anything about the robbery that happened the other day a few streets over." She talked like someone might be able to hear her just incase.  
  
"Oh, ok. We never heard 'nothin' 'bout that ourselves." Kale confirmed. Kat winked at him. She told them she had to head to work and went to get ready. They walked her to the bus stop and waited with her till the bus came. They asked her if she was sure this car place was on the up and up for real. That the guys she was working for didn't have bad intentions behind giving her the job. She assured them that Brian and Harry were both quite nice, and she suspected Harry looked at her in much the way an adult looked a niece or younger relative. They seemed calmed by that. The bus arrived. She hugged them both, which they allowed, but only cause it was Kitten, then boarded the bus. Plus it couldn't hurt for the guys on the bus to know she was with Stacy and Kale. They went on the rounds, collecting more depts.  
  
Kat arrived at work and chucked her stuff behind the counter. She grabbed a rag and started to wipe off the glass displays. It was boring, but it was a job, and the guys let her do more exciting stuff sometimes. Brian came out of the back. He said good morning to her and walked over to where she was.  
  
"Hey Kat, your stuff came on the truck this morning. Wanna come see?"  
  
"Do I? Of course I do. Lead on." She giggled and followed Brian out back. It was quite a pile. She went over the list and what was there and confirmed it had all arrived. She was so thrilled to have it all in her hands. She ran her hand over some of the parts reverently. Finally her car would be ready to race. "This is so great, Brian, I can't thank you enough for giving me this job, this chance."  
  
"Well, you're working out so well I should be thanking you. Sure you won't give me a hint about what kinda car you're working on." He looked at how she was caressing the parts for the car, he could tell she loved the thing, just like he and the rest of his team loved theirs.  
  
"Nice try Cutie, but no dice." She smirked at him. "You find out when he's done and not a second before."  
  
Brian laughed at being called cutie. It must be true. After all Vince still called him that when he was pissed off at Brian, which felt like it was all the time, even though the two men got along much better since Brian saved his life and then quit the force rather then testify against them. And so the team had gotten off because of Brian's quick thinking and refusal to turn them in.  
  
And Brian found he was just as happy now. He had Mia, and Dom was like a brother. He worked here at the Racer's Edge and with Dom at DT. He raced the supra. Dom hadn't sold it thank god, he had stashed it. Brian loved that car. He had rounded the team back up quickly, so it wouldn't become obvious they had run away, and then told his bosses that he didn't find anything on them and quit. Then he had been taken onto the team by Dom. He and Dom had just clicked in a way not too many friends ever did. Everyone had been reserved around him at first but it was all water under the bridge now.  
  
Kat was looking at all the parts wondering how she was ever going to get them all to the car. It was not like she could take this much stuff home on the bus. She would just have to ask Brian to drive her and the stuff to Stacy's mom's place in his truck. She knew they delivered because they had had her do the deliveries a few times already the day before.  
  
"Brian, can you drive me and the parts somewhere after work?"  
  
"Sure no problem. I'm gonna go place some calls now. Can you watch the counter for me?"  
  
"Yep, I can do that." She went up front and waited on the few people who came in to get stuff they had in stock and placed a few orders for custom stuff. 6pm came quickly and she and Brian loaded up the truck with her stuff and she told him how to get to Stacy's mom's. They unloaded the truck and she made him leave the stuff at the door to the garage, she wouldn't let him see in. He laughed at her determination to keep her car to herself. They finished unloading and she told him she'd see him tomorrow. Brian left and she put all the parts in the garage. Then she went into the house to say hi to mama Kelly. 


	6. Rebuilding the Dream

Chapter 6 - Fixing the car.  
  
Ok, sorry this took so long to come but I had a death in the family and had to drive across 4 provinces to go to the funeral (. And then I got a new computer and had to retrieve all my stories and files. Also, due to the boringness of parts of what had to be done to her car I very much abriviated it. Also, the kind of paint job she does in the next chapter would take weeks but again in the interest of keeping the story going she paints it in one night. I didn't want to try to find 6 weeks of stuff for her to do while she paints it cause she needs to have her car ready for the story to get to the really good stuff. So enjoy, leave a review. Peace.  
  
Kat found her in the kitchen. She was always baking. She and Kat had a great relationship because it was hard to not like someone who was always nice and baking for you and Mama credited kitten for getting her 'darling boy' to leave the gang. But Stacy didn't want his mama to be known to his enemies so he had refused her offer of a place for all of them to stay when they left the gang. But mama knew that times were hard and she was the only reason they ate while none of them had work. She would send food or have them over for dinner once a week or so. Stacy was the only one who's parents were still around. He had grown up in the 'hood and by the time his mom and dad had gotten up out of it Stacy had been firmly entrenched in the gang life. His mama had cried and cried that he was gonna get himself killed. She was so grateful to Kitten for being the cause of his move away from crime.  
  
And mama knew that kitten needed mothering too. Poor little scrap of a girl hadn't had a mother since she was 14. So mama mothered her just as much as she mothered Stacy.  
  
"Mama that smells so good. Whatchya bakin' today?"  
  
"I'm making you some of that blueberry crisp you all like so much child. You can take it home to those poor starvin' men you live with. Pride cometh before the fall child, you know, you all should come live here with me and be safe and fed. I hate the thoughts of you all liven in that horrid place." Mama shook her head and put the crisp in the oven. Kat decided to tell her she didn't need to worry anymore. "And you eat some of this soup before you go work on that car o'yours too. Lord knows when you ate last."  
  
"Well Mama. I got a job. A real one in an auto parts store. And Sean got a real job at a garage. So in no time we'll be movin' to a better place. And I finally got the money to finish my car. All the parts are in the garage and I'm getting' a start at it as soon as I say hi to you. And have a bowl of soup." Kat was pulled into mama's embrace.  
  
"Praise the good Lord. Thank you Jesus. My prayers have done been answered. I prayed that you and the boys would find a way to leave that retched place and now you have. God bless you Kitten, it's all cause of you that those boys got their lives together. Before you came along I just knew my Stacy would end up shot or in jail. Now they all have something to look forward to."  
  
Kat was embarrassed the woman was giving her that much credit. "Well Mama I love the guys. They are how my blood brothers should have been. And family looks out for family. Since the guys are my only family I want us to do better too. And Mama you looking out for us all the time is a big deal too. Don't think I don't know how thick you laid it on Stacy about how worried you were." Mama blushed. Kat winked at Mrs. Kelly. "You know where to find me Mama, I'll be under my car." She laughed and headed back out to the garage.  
  
The phone rang and mama answered it. It was Stacy, looking for Kitten. Mama glanced at the clock. It had gone to 11pm already. The time had flown. She hadn't heard a peep from Kitten since she went to the garage. She told her son that Kitten was working on her car and Mama would put her in a cab home since it was so late. Stacy laughed and talked to his mother for a while about how much better things looked. Then Kale had to talk to Mama. They had all sort of adopted her as their team mother. She was such a sweet lady. She promised that she would go tell Kitten it was time to head home before she wore herself out. Mama hung up the phone and went to the garage.  
  
"Kitten, where are you child?"  
  
"Under the car Mama, what is it?"  
  
"Stacy and Kale say it's time to head home Kitten. Time to stop for the night. I'll give you cab money but it's time for you to head home. It's 11pm already."  
  
"Man, it's that late already? Just one second." She rolled out from under the car. "'Member how it wouldn't even start when I brought it here? Well, I wanna fire him up for a second and see how he runs. If he runs. I got enough done tonight that it should run now." She'd had to take down the whole engine, and she finally had it all back together and assembled.  
  
Mama nodded and Kat slid into her car and turned the key. The car came to life with a roar. "Woowhoo!" Kat yelled and Mama clapped.  
  
"You did it child. That car was a mess when you brought it here and if it wasn't this dull grey color you wouldn't know it had been damaged."  
  
"That's primer. I just have to paint it now. I have it all planned how it'll look too. I guess I should get home before Sean sends a search party."  
  
"Yes, we'll go call the cab, you can take the blueberry crisp home with you too."  
  
"Mama, you're too good to me, you know that?"  
  
Mama just shook her head and headed into the house with the very sore Kat under her arm. That had been a lot of work. They called the cab and Kat went home. She let herself in the house and called out. Three hello's came out of the living room. She went into the room. "Hey guys, Stacy, your mom send blueberry crisp."  
  
"Oh I love that woman." Sean said and got up. They all went into the kitchen and had some of the desert. She told them the car was almost done mechanically. It had taken her all night but it was almost done. Just the paint left to do and then it was just about ready for the road. Kale picked her up and swung her around.  
  
"Way to go Kitten. We'll be watching you kick ass at races in no time." She laughed down at him.  
  
"I hope so. I can't wait to have a car again. I miss just ripen around the city. And then we can move to a better place, mama will be happy then, and I can take the car home at night so that I can have it during the day for work." She wouldn't dare take a car home here. I would be gone by morning. Even if the people around didn't want to fuck with the Tigers, if no one saw it get stolen then Conner wouldn't have anyone to go after for it anyway. Kat yawned sleepily.  
  
"Go to bed Kitten. You're tired out." Stacy told her and then when she seemed like she was going to protest he picked her up and put her in her bed. She laughed and then changed for bed. She was asleep in seconds. The three guys looked down at her sleeping.  
  
"It's worth it isn't it guys?" Kale asked.  
  
"Hell Yeah." Was Sean's answer. " She's my sun."  
  
"I know what you mean." Stacy knew the girl had given them a reason to live. They all shared a look and went to bed.  
  
Kat got up and went to work again the next day. She was chatting with Brian at the counter because it wasn't busy at all that day. Sean walked in the store.  
  
"Sean, what are you doing here? Is everything ok?" She didn't know why Sean would be in this part of town. He didn't look upset though. She just couldn't think of any other reason for him to be here at the store.  
  
"Everythin's super."  
  
She looked at Brian, who had a very curious look on his face. She figured she better introduce them. "Brian this is Sean, he's been like a brother to me since I moved to California. Sean this is Brian, the guy that gave me this job."  
  
They shook hands. Brian said hello and then Sean looked back at Kat. "Kitten can you come outside wit me for a sec?"  
  
She looked a Brian who told her to go ahead. He was still smiling over hearing the big man call her Kitten. It suited her. She could tell Brian found it funny and she stuck her tongue out at him. He laughed out loud at that. She followed Sean out of the store. Sean pointed at a green car. "Well what'dya think of my new ride?"  
  
"That's your car Sean?" He nodded with a smile. "How'd you get that? That has to be what, a 95? Supra."  
  
"You're good Kitten. That's what it is. A dude came in with it, saying it was running like shit, which it is by the way, and wanted to know why and how much to fix it. It's only running on 4 cylinders."  
  
"So it needs to be striped and rebuilt then?" She asked and he nodded. Kat made a face, she knew what a pain in the ass that process was, having just completed it.  
  
"So when we told him how much it would cost to do that and the time involved the guy wasn't interested and asked if I wanted it for 1000. I said of course and got the money off Kale for now. So when your car is all done, you and I can start to build this one. Now we have both our rides for races. Stacy is a half decent racer too and he can run this when it's done." She squealed and jumped on Sean. He caught her and spun her around before setting her down.  
  
"Did this all really happen over night Bro? Seems too good to be true." Sean laughed and nodded. "Shit, I better get back to work. See you tonight?"  
  
"Sure Kitten, see you then." Sean took off in his half crippled supra, but at least it ran and it was cheap for that car. Even in the rough shape it was in it was worth 5 times what Sean paid for it. She headed back into the store.  
  
"So, Kitten, how did you get that name?" Brian had to know.  
  
"You gonna give me a hard time over this? I'm as tough as I look, no matter what nicknames I have."  
  
"I'm not gonna give you a hard time, I just wanna know."  
  
"Well when I came here from New York I some how ended up in South Central with no idea where I was. I got lucky that Sean and Kale and Stacy were the first guys to find me. They took me in and gave me a place to stay. At the time they were leaders in the gang, the Tigers. You heard of them?" Brian nodded. "And the fact that they were in a gang didn't bother me then. I was only 15 and I had just run away from my idiot brothers and drove right across the country on my own with no license and next to no money in a car I stole from my older brother that he stole from someone else. Sean jokes that I was all hair and attitude. And I never let people call me Katharine, only Kat. Sean says that I'm not a grown Kat yet, I'm still just a Kitten. And the name stuck. I don't mind. And the guys would leave me with Conner while they did gang stuff. Then they got to thinking that they wouldn't come back to me someday if they stayed gang bangen. So they got Conner to let them out. But since Sean and Conner are brothers we still tight with the gang, but we're not criminals any more."  
  
"That guy that was just here is Sean Black?"  
  
"Yeah, how'd you know his name like that?"  
  
"I was a cop remember. I know who Conner and Sean Black are, and I sure know about the Tigers. You were a Tiger?"  
  
"Sorta. I was more like their pet or mascot. But they took good care of me. They're all good men, they just do bad things." Kat was fiercely protective of the guys. She gave Brian a look that dared him to say anything about the guys.  
  
"I got ya. My team is sorta the same."  
  
"S'all good Brian. So I just gotta paint the car and it's ready."  
  
"So I get to see it soon?"  
  
"Any day now. You know why Sean came here?" Brain shook his head. "He picked up a 95 supra for 1000 bucks. It needs a complete strip and rebuild but still."  
  
"Wow, shit. I drive a 95 supra for Dom. It's a 2 JZ though."  
  
"I don't know if Sean's is or not. I guess I'll find out when I'm up to my elbows in it."  
  
"My buddy Dom has a performance garage. You should let us do the rebuild."  
  
"Thanks but Sean's a mechanic and I like working on cars."  
  
Some customers came in and the rest of the evening was a blur. She headed back to Mama's when she was off to finish her engine and start the paint process. The rest of the mechanical stuff took an hour. She'd have to get Sean to go over the electronics like the fuel management system and the NOS system. She got the thing all masked off and sanded and ready for paint. Then she painted the first base coat on. The car was going to be nighthawk black. She got that coat on and dry then she put the second coat of color on. She let that set awhile, then she sanded and then did a third coat. Then she did the clear. She went to talk to Mama while that set up further. Then she went to do the decals. She had planned them all out and designed them herself. They weren't really decals this time around. She was quite the artist and she had been practicing with the airbrush. She was going to airbrush the car herself then clear coat it again. 


	7. Meeting the team

Chapter 7 - Meeting the Team  
  
As I said on chapter 6's intro, the paint job I have given her car would take up to 6 weeks of very intensive labor to do, but I didn't want to bore you all with 6 weeks of kat goes to work for Brian in the day and paints a car at night. I just don't wanna get flamed over not knowing the work that goes into painting a car like this. I think that about covers it all, enjoy the chapter and if you read it please leave a review, I would love to have any and all comments on this story, unless they're flames with no point.  
  
She got started on the hood and slipped into her own world.  
  
"Yes she sho is here, little thing has been in that garage all night again. Painting this time she says." Mama was talking to Stacy.  
  
"Well Sean got a car himself today so I'm gonna borrow it and come get her." Stacy knew she would stay there doing her car all night if he didn't come collect her.  
  
"I think that's a good idea son." Mama had come to the same conclusion. She said bye and hung up the phone. Stacy told the guys he was taking the car to go pick up Kitten and they agreed to that. They figured he wanted to say hi to his mama too.  
  
Kitten had worked feverishly. She wanted it done that night. It was so close. She put the finishing touch on it just as she heard the door open. She looked up and saw Stacy. She smiled and stretched.  
  
"Whatdoya think?" she asked.  
  
"Wow." Was all Stacy could say. She had picked some sort of black paint, but with silver, red, blue, and purple fleck in it. It was some crazy color, it looked so good. Then she had airbrushed a white tiger on the hood, but not in the center. The tiger wasn't done in white paint, but rather a pale silver, it looked like solid sterling that color. The cat was diagonally across the hood, it's tail was down the left fender and it's front leg was painted down the right fender of the car. The face was sort of looking at the front of the car over the cat's shoulder, it's mouth open, teeth bared and it was so lifelike he could swear he heard it hissing. It sorta looked like the cat was crouched on the hood of the car, ready to pounce. She had painted the side like the cat had clawed it and left huge gouges in the medal. And through the claw marks you could see a scene of a white tiger running full out in the jungle. It was the most intricate paint job he had ever seen. And she had done the same thing on the other side of the car, it was identical. It said Kitten in script on the driver's door right under the handle. "I wish the guys had come with me to see this."  
  
"Me too. But they'll see it tomorrow. I'm taking the bus here in the morning and taking my car to work. I promised Brian he would be the second to see it."  
  
"Well let's go Kitten. I'm ready for bed now." She followed him out of the garage and into Sean's new ride. They headed home and went to bed.  
  
She got up early the next day and went to get her car. She let herself in the garage and she was very proud of her handiwork. The car looked like a piece of art. It looked even better in the daylight. All shiny and sparkling in the light. She headed to the store and ran in, after parking out front.  
  
Brian was talking to a group of people when she came in. She ran up to him with a huge smile and since he wasn't talking to anyone at the time she grabbed his hand and smiled at him as she pulled him out the front door. One of the females in the group gave her a dirty look but she was too happy to notice.  
  
"Brian, come 'ere, come see what I brought today." She giggled and dragged him to the door. He followed her with a laugh at her exuberance. She took him outside and pointed at her car.  
  
Brian knew he was in for it with Mia, but when he saw the car it was all worth it. "Skyline." He hissed out and looked at the paint job. "This is your car? This is the car you wouldn't tell me about. Where'd you get this? I know how rare they are."  
  
"The guys bought it for me when I turned 16. You like?"  
  
"I really like. Who the hell painted it? That's unreal, I've never seen a car like that."  
  
"I did."  
  
"You did the airbrushing too?"  
  
"Ya. I did the whole paint job." She smiled at him and leaned on the driver's door. "You wanna make us into a calendar? Something like 'cutest kitten and the hottest car on earth'." Brian laughed. Neither of them noticed the team trail out of the store. Kat didn't think twice about how it looked, she was just being playful.  
  
"Brian, who's this?" Mia asked in a very catty tone of voice. Of course Kat knew he had a girl so she wasn't crushing on him or anything. She had always had this easy way with guys and it wouldn't be the first time some chick thought Kat was after her man. She did tend to flirt even if she didn't mean it but she wasn't after Brian. She just had this easy way with him that made her forget that he had a girl that might not appreciate the way she acted around him. Apparently Mia didn't get the playfulness.  
  
"Oh yeah, damn, I used to have manners." Brian flashed that big, killer white smile. "Mia, this is Kat, Kat, this is my girl Mia." Kat stood up and held her hand out to Mia.  
  
"Nice to meet you Mia, I'm Kat." Mia shook her hand with reluctance and put an arm around Brian. Kat laughed. "Brian talks about you so much I feel like I know you already. You must be very nice cause he never has anything but grossly sweet things to say." Kat laughed to show she was kidden' and smiled at the other girl. Mia started to relax because it seemed obvious that the other girl had no designs on Brian. Mia smiled and said hello back.  
  
Brian then turned to the tall man on his left. "This is Dom Torreto, sorta our team leader and fastest racer in LA. Bro, this is Kat."  
  
"Sorta your team leader?" Dom laughed. "I am the team leader, but he got the fastest racer in LA part right." Dom winked at her and held out his hand. Kat shook Dom's hand then said, "Well I beg to differ, I'm the fastest racer in LA. But still nice to meet you Dom." Dom laughed. The girl had spunk. Then he realized she was serious. Wow, she was full of herself wasn't she? Guys still raced him to try and prove their worth, he was the king of the LA streets. He overheard strangers saying that all the time. He mostly thought it was silly, but for this girl to claim to be something he'd spent his whole life earning burned him. But she was a friend of Brian's so he continued to smile.  
  
Kat didn't like Dom at all. But she hid it. She knew the guy was important to Brian. But Dom was gorgeous and he very well knew it. That type didn't sit well with Kat. She bet he had been with lots and lots of girls. She could be wrong but something about Dom Torreto rubbed her the wrong way. He also obviously believed all that king of LA crap people tossed around. A dark girl walked up beside Dom. Brian continued. "That's Dom's girl Letty. She might just give you a challenge on the fastest racer in LA thing herself." Kat smiled at Letty but Letty didn't smile back. She looked at Dom then at Kat.  
  
*So that's how it is,* Kat thought. *He's strayed and she thinks that I'm the next partner in crime. Fat chance.* "Hey Letty. Nice to meet you."  
  
"Hi." Letty answered without much enthusiasm. Then she saw the car. "Wow. That your car?"  
  
"He's my baby. I just restored it from a bad wreck."  
  
A tall guy looking very shaggy stepped out around Dom for a look at the car. "Who helped you Baby? I hope someone did. I would've hated to see you break a nail or get grease in that pretty hair." He asked.  
  
*Down boy* she thought. He was taking the wrong attitude with her. "No one sweetie." She came back with. "I did it all by my little lonesome." He didn't need to know that Sean had helped her with a lot of the heavy mechanical stuff. She held up her hand to show him her very practical short nails. She walked up to this new man and ran a hand suggestively up his chest and into his hair. She uses the handful of his hair she had to pull him down from his 6 foot plus height to her level and said into his face, "Who helped you pick that haircut? You should definitely have it out with them." She asked with a smile that said poor pathetic man can't even shave. She released his hair and backed away from him.  
  
"Whoooo." The team all said. This could get interesting. Old Cyote would have a hard time just taking that.  
  
Scruffy nodded and seemed to take the hint from the sweetie comment, and the hair comment, that this Kat had claws. But he wasn't going to just take that shit. He almost had a comeback ready when another guy, shorter then the rest and younger looking too came around Brian. "Can I look under the hood, please?" This guy was so sweet looking she couldn't say no. He was sorta not a boy but not a man either. Brian had already made the parallel between Kat and Jesse. Both were seemingly innocent but yet not. But Kat was hiding something and Brian knew there was no artifice in Jesse. Kat couldn't say no, even though she would rather not share what she had under the hood.  
  
Kat popped the hood and Jesse looked. Kat wondered how many people were on this fricken team. There were way more of them then there was people on her team. Then she heard another voice, it didn't belong to anyone she had met yet. It was a voice that her hot and bothered dreams were made of. So it seemed there was at least one more. Brian introduced Jesse "The Mad Scientist" Ames while the kid was still under the hood of her car. He finished and she closed the hood. "That is one sweet car you got there. Leon should see this. He has a Skyline too and he's really proud of it. He's always a little pissed when someone else has one." Vince and Dom laughed. Leon would be pissed. This kid's Skyline was newer.  
  
Just then the man who owned 'the voice' stepped out around the others. Kat lost it for a second but recovered before any of them noticed she was panicked. It was sexy pizza boy. Oh shit. "And this is Leon." Brian said, and mistook the look on her face for being overwhelmed by them all. "And that's all of us I promise. Leon you need to see this car man."  
  
"No shit Dawg." Leon said to Brian. He turned to Kat. "Nice Skyline. Yours?" He looked at the girl.  
  
"Yeah, I'm standing next to it." She smirked.  
  
"Oh don't go there." Brian laughingly told her and the rest of the team all laughed too.  
  
She couldn't believe that it was the pizza boy she checked out. Small world. Well he hadn't seen her face and her clothes had been baggie that night. Leon walked around the car. He noted it was a GT-R. Shit. This was one rare vehicle in the USA. V-Spec too. He got to her door. "Kitten?" He questioned, reading the monogram.  
  
"That's me." She answered.  
  
"Well this is a nice car." Too nice. Didn't she know that he was the only one who should have a skyline? And what year was it? With the body kit it was hard to tell. His was a 94 and if hers was a 99 or newer he was screwed. The GT-R had been majorly revamped in 99 and he would have a hard time beating her if hers was that new. "What year is it? And where did you get the body kit?"  
  
"Thanks. It's a '99 R34 GT-R V-spec, and the body is Veilside." Internally he groaned but he just nodded at her.  
  
"Sweet, but I gotta ask. How did you get the name Kitten?"  
  
"It's really Katherine, but I go by Kat and my guys started to call me Kitten and it stuck." She laughed and Brian filled them in about how she had been living with her three big 'brothers' for the last 4 years. Dom heard the name Sean and Kale used in the same sentence. Then Kat turned around and bent over to pick up something off the ground and he saw the small tiger cub that was tattooed on her back. Oh shit was all Dom could think. Brian had hired a Tiger. And not just any Tiger, this girl lived with the three most notorious leaders of that gang. Dom gave Brian a look, like 'what were you thinking'. Brian didn't get it.  
  
Leon couldn't shake the feeling he knew the girl, and every time her back was turned to him the feeling intensified. He wanted to get to know her better.Dom saw Leon looking at the girl in that way they all knew too well with Leon. He was intrigued by the girl. *Wrong girl Leon*, Dom thought. *You don't want to mess with this one.* Dom decided to throw the fact she was a tiger out into the open.  
  
"So you're the girl that Sean Black and Kale Adams took into the Tigers Huh? First girl to ever become a member of that gang." Dom asked her point blank. She laughed. She was so used to this. So many people were scared of her boys and then her by proxy because they hadn't made a big deal of the fact they left the gang. Brian gave Dom a look.  
  
"S'ok Brian. Yes Dom. I was a Tiger, or rather I was like a pet to the Tigers. They took care of me from the time I moved here alone at 15 till, well, now. And you forgot about Stacy Kelly. But the guys and I aren't in the gang anymore. The leader is Sean's older Bro, so when they wanted out for my sake, Conner let them out. So it's not like we're still gang members. The guys all have real jobs now. Sean's a mechanic. Kale and Stacy do something, I don't know what, and here I am working for Harry. But you wouldn't want to live where we live and not have ties to someone that's scary to other people. The only reason I'm safe in our 'hood is because of that tattoo and the fact that most people know that I'm under Conner's protection." Dom nodded. He still didn't want her around. He knew that Brian had planned on trying to get her closer to them.  
  
Leon broke in and asked her where she lived. Oh shit, she thought. He now knows I live with three guys and now he's gonna know where I live. Well he doesn't need to know exactly where I live. I'll just tell him in south central and hope he lets me get away with being that vague. "I live in South Central, in a very rough part of it for right now. We're gonna move soon though."  
  
"You all must make quite the picture when you're together huh?" Leon asked her. She was so proud of her guys she acted without thinking.  
  
"You wanna see a picture of us all together?" God damn it what was she thinking. At least the guys had bandana's over their faces when they held Leon up and it had been dark. Leon nodded that yes he would like to see the picture. She had an 8X10 of her and the guys in front of the car the way it had been. She was 16 in the picture which meant the guys were about 3 years younger then too so maybe it would be ok. She leaned into the car and opened up the glove box and took the picture out. She handed it over. 


	8. Feelings of Familiarity

Starting to get to the good parts of the story now that everyone knows everyone else! Please leave a review, as always, I live on reviews. I really do! I have some plot guessers out there too and some of 'em have been pretty well dead on. I hope I still have some tricks up my sleeves though. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 8 - I know that Chick from somewhere!  
  
Leon looked down at the picture. In it a much younger Kitten was leaning against a large man, his arms around her waist, and there was another man on either side of her, each one with an arm around her shoulders, and then another one in a crouch by her feet. She stared boldly out at the camera with a huge smile on her face. She was very cocky looking. The guys weren't looking at the camera. They were looking at the girl with indulgent smiles. The picture screamed happy times, and close family. He had one of his team that was similar, but they were all looking at the camera. Dom was the center of their team, but they didn't look to Dom the way these guys looked to Kitten. And besides that he thought she lived with three guys not four.  
  
She stood beside Leon. He smelled good. She took a deeper sniff. Wait she couldn't have these feelings about Leon. Not now. Not ever. He and she were from two totally different worlds. Why did he have to be the first guy in forever to get her hot and bothered? It had to be a guy she couldn't have no matter what. Not to mention she didn't even like him that much. That was her luck. She shook her head and looked at the picture. She'd have to go ahead and explain the people now. "That's Sean behind me. Stacy is on my left and Kale on my right. The guy at my feet is Conner. So we do make an interesting team don't we?"  
  
"For sure." Leon knew he knew these guys from somewhere. Vince and Dom wanted to see the picture. Even Vince got the same sense of closeness from it. The girls and Brian looked and then gave her the picture back. She put it away. She was unnerved by the way that Leon was staring at her. She knew he was gonna figure it out. Not that he could prove it. The guys were gonna freak. She smiled at him in what she hoped was a non threatening way. He just looked at her, he didn't smile back. She walked away from him and up to Brian.  
  
"I'm gonna head back in. Don't drool on my car guys, I can't wax it for like a month so I don't want anything to mess up the paint." They all gave her sarcastic smiles. She walked back in the store and up to Harry. "What's the deal with the Torreto's?"  
  
"What'oya mean deal?"  
  
"Well just that. Brian's such a nice guy, and the girls seem ok, 'cept it's obvious Letty thinks every girl on earth is after her idiot boyfriend, but the guys, but that Jesse guy, are all morons."  
  
Harry laughed at her. She had just insulted his best customers but he couldn't find it in him to be mad at her. "They're not morons. Dom's a good guy. He's a bit of a player. Watch out for him." She put up a hand to stop Harry right there.  
  
"Dominic Torreto does not have a chance with me Harry. He's the one that better watch out. I mean what he does to his chick is his business but he better know that no means no." She didn't want a fling with anyone and if she did it wouldn't be with Dominic Torreto. The though already repulsed her.  
  
"I'm not implying that he would do anything like what you just implied but when he turns on the charm watch out Ladies." Harry winked at her.  
  
"I'm sure that works with the racer chasers he hangs out with but it won't work on me. This is one chick that doesn't go for the involved guys and besides that I just didn't like him right away. I can't explain it but I don't like him." She frowned. She didn't know why she hated Dominic right off the bat like that but she didn't like him one bit. She was gonna have Stacy dig into who Dominic Torreto really was.  
  
"Well you better play nice while they're in here Kitten, no claws with this one please. Dominic is my best customer and when he drives he's golden, kids pour in."  
  
"Here and they want every performance part, everything he's got, and they pay cash. Yeah Brian is your protégé alright, I got that speech already. I can be charming too ya know. He'll never know I think he's right up there with dirt in my list of things to like."  
  
"I don't know what would make you feel that way about him. He's really an ok guy. Raised his sister after his dad was killed in a car wreck and everything." Harry was puzzled by her immediate dislike of Dom. Most of his female staff fell over themselves to get to know Dom. He shook his head and looked at Kitten, who was filling out some inventory forms. Kat was trying to find the courage to ask Harry about Leon. She might not like Dom but she did have an attraction to Leon. But she was also terrified he would figure out that it was her and the guys that robbed him that night. That had to have been somewhat traumatic.  
  
"What about Leon, how does he fit in to the whole thing?" She asked then blushed. Harry noticed but decided not to draw attention to it.  
  
"Well, he and Jesse just kinda showed up one day, and never left. Dom took them in. It was surprising that he trusted them right away like that but he did. They've been around for years. Leon's a bit of a player too, but he's a free man to act that way I guess."  
  
"Ok, so are he and Jesse related?" File away the fact that Leon's not seeing anyone, she thought.  
  
"Might be, I never asked them. I would make a lot of sense if they were." Kat nodded and went back to her forms.  
  
The team was busy quizzing Brian about Kat out front. "What kind of name is Kitten?" Letty asked, she really did think that every girl Dom looked at and talked to was likely to fall at his feet and into his bed. Poor Dom was so tired of it.  
  
"Kitten is a nickname, her name is Katharine, but she goes by Kat. Guys she's nice. I swear. I don't know what you guys have against her." Brian didn't get it.  
  
"She did seem nice." Mia had liked her after she was convinced the girl was not after Brian. And Mia was sure she wasn't so now that that was out of the way Mia liked her just fine. Well she didn't see anything wrong with her anyway. They didn't really know her after all.  
  
"She didn't like me much." Dom said with a puzzled look on his face. "What'd I do, we just met?"  
  
"Who cares Dom, not every girl has to go crazy over you ya know." Letty rolled her eyes.  
  
"I'm not askin' her to go crazy, I just don't get what I did to deserve to be treated like some sort of slime ball."  
  
"She's quick with the comebacks." Poor Vince just shook his head. She'd gotten him good. He was still sort of in shock that he let her get away with it. He thought it was the innocent look. He found it hard to be mean to such an innocent looking girl. But she wasn't innocent when she opened her mouth, he reminded himself. The whole team laughed at him. Kat had gotten him good with the scruffy comment.  
  
"Anyone who built a car this sweet can't be all bad." Jesse was star struck. She built this car. He had seen the shit in that engine. She could very well be his female counterpart in this life. He was sure she was an ok girl because she built such a good car. "I mean she has excellent taste obviously, if she picked this car. Right Leon?" Leon just nodded. Jesse continued, not picking up on Leon's confusion. "So I guess if she thinks Dom is an asshole..." Jesse laughed and ran away from Dom who got what Jesse was implying and chased him around the parked cars. The team laughed. Dom and Jesse had a great relationship. Dom probably always wanted a little brother, and Jesse was like a substitute for it. Dom did put himself in the father figure role of the team. Dom caught him and put him in a head lock and dragged him back over to the assembled team.  
  
Leon was sure he knew Kitten from somewhere. But where? And the three standing guys in the photo were so familiar. It was eating him. He needed more info. He walked into the store without saying a word. The team all stared after him in confusion. "What's wrong with Leon?" Jesse asked the group.  
  
"Aw, could he be taken with Kat?" Mia asked. She was so happy with Brian she didn't know how the other guys lived without a steady girlfriend.  
  
"Could be." Vince added. "She was pretty enough. Kinda young looken' though. She's not really his type." They all nodded.  
  
Leon watched the girl work on something from the other side of the store. It was bothering him really bad that he knew her from somewhere. He couldn't place where. She was thin, but her frame was small too afterall. Her hair was very unique but he didn't recognize that. If he didn't know who she was based on that hairdo then it wasn't likely he knew her at all. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen her before. She looked back over her shoulder and laughed at something Harry said. Then she went back to her forms.  
  
Harry noticed Leon standing over by one of the far displays and smirked. He knew why Leon was in the store without his team. But Leon would have to get in line. The males that frequented his store had been asking Kitten out since he hired her but she never took any of them up on it. And he hadn't told her not to date the customers, in fact he told her which ones would be good to her and show her a good time. She just didn't seem interested in guys. Till she asked him about Leon. Well Leon had never been shy around women. Harry figured if Leon wanted to know more about her he'd ask. He was right.  
  
Leon was trying to think up an icebreaker question to ask her that wouldn't be inane. He wanted to know more about her. He had to know how he knew her. He knew he didn't know her face, but he still had this sense of familiarity when he looked at her. He walked up to the counter.  
  
"So you been liven' in Cali. since you were 15 huh?" That wasn't too bad. Fairly smooth, he thought. He was no Dom, but women were normally interested in him on some level.  
  
She looked up and smiled at him. Then reminded herself she wasn't gonna flirt with this one. She had too much on the go to worry about dating, and if she was gonna date it wouldn't be some smooth guy like these guys. So she'd answer his questions as frostily as possible without being rude, for Harry's sake. "That's right. I drove here at 15."  
  
"Where you from originally?" Even Harry didn't know the answer to that one and Kat wasn't sure she wanted to answer that. It could give people too much info about her. Enough to dig into her past. But she couldn't refuse to answer. It would make it look obvious she was hiding something. New York was a whole state after all. She would try not to go into what part she was from.  
  
"I'm from New York originally. Have you always lived in Cali yourself?" Ha, she'd try to get him off the trail with questions of her own.  
  
"No, I moved here from New Mexico about 8 years ago." Leon would swear she was trying to get him to stop asking questions with the vague answers and ice queen act. "What did you do before you got the job working here?" Maybe he had seen her at work somewhere.  
  
"Me? I didn't do much of anything. I hung around the guys, built my car, raced my car, partied, and hung out with my girls. I never had to work. The guys took care of that, they spoiled me rotten." Why was she being this open with this guy? She thought he was hot, but she didn't even really like him. He was too smooth, and no doubt just like his friend Dom. "I'm sorry by the way, I never even thought to ask if I could help you?"  
  
"No, I just feel like we've met before and it's buggin' me. You sure we never met before?"  
  
"Very sure. I don't think the people that I roll with and your team have much in common. I'm sorry but we've never met. I didn't see many people outside of our 'hood." He nodded.  
  
"I'll let you get back to your work then." With one last contemplative look at her Leon walked back outside to where the team was still chatting.  
  
"So you got a hot date wit the little blonde chica tonight Brotha?" Vince asked with a wink.  
  
"Naw Dawg, that's not why I went in there, I know that chick from somewhere, but I don't know where. She says we've never met but I don't buy it."  
  
"Man, you don't know her. How would you?" Dom asked.  
  
"I don't know man but I know her Dawg. I know her and I've seen the guys in that picture before too." Leon knew this was gonna bother him till he figured it out.  
  
"You coulda seen them on the news Bro, that was a bad gang they were in. They were on the news all the time." Brian didn't think Leon could possibly know them, and he didn't want Leon to treat Kat like a racer chaser.  
  
"Could be. I just don't know Dawg."  
  
"Well guys, let's get back to work. We got lots of cars waiting on us back at DT." Dom stated then headed for his car. Everyone got into their cars and they all left. Brian headed back into the store to finish the day.  
  
"Well Kat, you got Leon all tied up in knots girl. He's so sure he knows you from somewhere." Brian winked at her. "I think he's just using that as a line to get to know you now."  
  
"Brian, I don't know what he's thinking but he doesn't know me. And I'm not looking to get involved with anyone right now. But I didn't get that feeling from him anyway. I think he really thinks he knows me but I know I don't know him." She hoped she looked sincere. "Maybe he picked up a girl that looked like me after a race once." She laughed.  
  
"Maybe." Brian laughed. Leon didn't have trouble 'getting a date' at races so that could be it. "That could be it."  
  
"So he's a player is he? Wouldn't remember a girl he slept with?" She made herself look serious.  
  
"No, no, he's not a player like that." He stammered out. Brian was flustered that he made his friend sound like some sort of male slut.  
  
"Chill Brian, I'm teasing you. He's a nice enough looken' guy. I know the type anyway. They only slut around with girls who only want the one night fling anyway." She smiled to let him know she really wouldn't hold what he said against Leon, and didn't think he was some sort of evil seducer of women.  
  
"You know more then you let on girl. You're a scary judge o' character." She had Leon to a T. He was a nice guy, who was nice enough looking, who seemed to draw female attention and enjoyed the company of a woman who knew he wasn't looking for commitment.  
  
"I do ok. Now, I got the inventory done an we short on stuff for the Evo's. You know those things are gonna be hot when they officially hit the states in a few weeks. We should do up a display of aftermarket stuff we got for 'em. You know, NOS systems, Cold air intake, turbos, neon kits, that sort of thing. You know that when people get 'em they're gonna wanna trick 'em out."  
  
"Good idea. You got any suppliers in mind for stuff yet?" Kat was smart. Brian couldn't believe that neither he nor Harry had thought of prestocking Evo parts before the car was officially released in the states.  
  
"We already deal with all the big names that make the stuff for 'em. Veilside, HKS Racing, etc. It's just a matter of ordering the stuff and making the display up. Maybe we could convince Harry to buy one and let us do it up for a company vehicle." She laughed. Harry was very frugal. He only let them have the truck because they needed it to do deliveries.  
  
"Yeah right, that'll happen." Brian laughed too. "But the display is a great idea. Why don't you order some stuff and then we'll do it up."  
  
"You mean it Brian? I can decide how the display should look?"  
  
"Sure, I saw your car; you got a great sense of style."  
  
"Thanks." She was really happy he trusted her enough to let her do this. She had decided long ago she wasn't going to cheat or steal from this job and Harry and Brian made her glad for that every day. They were so good to her and they paid better then she had though they would too. She placed the order for the stuff then planned out the display in her mind's eye. When that was done it was time to go home. 


	9. Talking skylines and finding common grou...

Chapter 9 - Talking Skylines and finding Common Ground  
  
She was the first one home again so she made supper. The guys got home and they ate. She asked Sean when they were gonna start on his supra now that the skyline was finished. He told her not right away. They chatted for awhile about how to do it up.  
  
There were races tomorrow night, Sean told her and he wanted her to race. Kat was up for that. She had to start again sometime. Her car was ready, but she wasn't sure if she was. She hadn't raced in a long time. Not since she was in a race that should have killed her. She didn't know how she walked away from the wreck that had been. She didn't want to race any big time players yet either. She had to get back into the mindset and the lifestyle first.  
  
"Where are the races Sean? Who's gonna be there? You know it's been a long time since I raced. Is it a small buy in race? I'm not ready to race for nickels yet."  
  
"It's 'round here Kitten. Same crowd you're use to. It's a g buy in race that you should enter."  
  
"Aight, if you think I can take 'em then I'll enter. But I might get Brian to race me tomorrow for practice."  
  
"Do what you think you need to Kitten. But you're good. You always been a natural. It'll all come back to ya as soon as you rev that big engine and feel that power in your foot." Kale knew the girl craved speed.  
  
"Well, aight then. That's settled. But races round here are small time anyways. We need to find out where the big boys run and get some'a that action after I get warmed up tomorrow." Kat wanted to rule the streets. She had been on her way to it before the accident.  
  
She hadn't been as reckless since the accident. She hadn't driven with the same sort of immortal attitude so many had in their youth. Of course she had also been driving a nearly crippled race car or catch rides in Stacy's mom's station wagon. She guessed when she had the open road in front of her in her newly restored Skyline it would all come back to her. She hoped that would be the case. But it still worried her, as did her new feelings about Leon. No guy had ever made her feel quite like this. She'd dated before, but not a lot. There had never seemed to be time, and the guys seemed to scare off potential dates just by being. And so did her ice queen act. She'd dated Sean of course but he'd never made her feel like this. When she thought about Leon she got that butterfly feeling in her tummy.  
  
She grabbed the ice cream out of the freezer and took a bowl out of the cupboard. She got a big bowl of vanilla with a huge amount of chocolate syrup. She took it into the living room and threw herself down onto the 'new' couch. The guys were watching some movie on TV and she curled up with her ice cream and lost herself in thoughts of big green eyes and spicy aftershave.  
  
She was in the middle of a day dream about her and Leon and the back seat of a Skyline, didn't matter much which one, when she was shaken back to reality. Stacy was laughing at her.  
  
"Where were you Kitten? You have chocolate all over your face."  
  
"Do not." She said and turned bright red at having been caught in such an explicit daydream by the guys. Well not that they knew what she was thinking about, but she was normally a very tidy eater. She put the bowl in the sink and went to the bathroom. She was a mess. Damn. What would the guys be thinking she had been thinking about? She cleaned up her face and stared at herself in the mirror. She was hot and flushed and she couldn't get the image of her and Leon out of her head. Man, was she in trouble. She was very attracted to a guy she didn't even like, and even if she did like him she couldn't be with him. And she didn't think he liked her much either. She shook her head and walked back into the living room.  
  
"So who is he?" Sean asked her with a grin. He had seen the dreamy look in her eyes and the flush to her skin. He knew that she hadn't had any steady boyfriends since she'd been with them but him. And he didn't kid himself into thinking that he had ever made her feel like that. If he had then she'd be his girl right now, not day dreaming 'bout some other guy. Kat blushed darker and murmured,  
  
"No one."  
  
"No way is that look over no one." Kale started.  
  
"I think it's the all American pretty boy she works for. He's all tan and has one of those big cheesy smiles." Sean hadn't gotten that feeling from them when he had seen Kat and Brian together at the store but it had to be someone.  
  
"I'm not into Brian in that way. God. He has a girl anyways but Brian isn't my type at all." She shook her head at them. She couldn't imagine dating a guy as easy going as Brian. She needed a guy who would piss her off and keep her on her toes. And not let her get away with every little trick she pulled. That got boring, when a guy was too, well, accommodating. Oh and he would have to be able to beat her at racing. She had been good but she couldn't always beat her guy or she would look down at him. It's just the way she was. "I don't know what you're talking about anyway. I'm not with anyone, and there's no one. I just wanna race and get a better place to live. I'm not looking for a relationship right now. Taking care of you three is enough. I don't need to add another helpless male into my life and into my responsibilities." She smirked at them right up to the point where they wrestled her to the floor and tickled her into a laughing submission for calling them helpless.  
  
The Torreto team was at home watching some movie on TV. Well everyone but Leon was watching. Leon was thinking about a certain blonde chica with a purple band around the ends of her hair. At first he was just trying to figure out how he knew her and her team. Then he was seeing her and him in the back seat of his car at a beach somewhere, and seeing that hair around him, seeing her smile at him with a gaze even greener then his own, seeing her eyes go glassy when he.  
  
Dom was shaking Leon's shoulder but the other man was totally oblivious to it.  
  
"Hey earth to Leon. Wake up man."  
  
"Huh?" Leon shook his head. "What's up Dawg?" He asked Dom, having been jolted back to earth.  
  
"Yeah, welcome back man, what were you thinking about? I've never seen you look so out of it."  
  
"He was thinkin' 'bout the little blonde chica from The Racer's Edge." Vince laughed. "That little girl has him all caught up in her big green eyes and long blonde hair. Poor Leon. First time he ever wanted a girl that wasn't all over him." Vince knew what it was like and it was about time it was someone else caught up in that situation.  
  
"I was thinking 'bout new turbos for my car, not some chick. And not that chick for sure. I told you guys, I'm not into her. I think I know her from somewhere, and I think she's lying about not knowing me. But I'm not into her."  
  
Mia gave him this pitying smile, she could see right through him. Mia was like that. She took care of them all and she knew them better then they knew themselves. But he really wasn't into her. He wanted to sleep with her, he'd give them that, and that was what Mia was picking up on. Plus he wanted to know how he knew her, no one was telling him he didn't know her, but he didn't even really like her personally. Who wouldn't want to get with her?  
  
Vince gave him this sly look like he knew more then Leon was letting on too. "I'm goin' to bed. You guys can talk 'bout me after I leave, kay?" With that Leon walked out of the room and down to his bed in the basement.  
  
"You guys buy that he doesn't like the little blonde girl?" Vince asked.  
  
"She has a name you know guys." Mia informed them. "Her name is Kat not blonde chick or chica."  
  
"I don't think he likes her like, likes her, but he wants to get with her, you know. And he's sure he knows her. He's not making that shit up." Jesse knew Leon better then anyone. He was his half brother after all.  
  
"Well he better not have anything to do with her because I don't want trouble with her friends. That goes for everyone, well except Brian of course." Dom didn't want to get involved in anything that would draw attention to them. They had tried to lay low since Brian got them out of trouble about the trucks. And those guys she lived with and her past spelled trouble.  
  
"Man guys, what do you have against Kat? I work with her every day and I can tell ya, she's nice, and she and her friends have cleaned up. They left that past behind Bro." Brian knew from the way Kat looked at Leon that she was attracted to him. And if Leon was attracted to her they deserved to have a chance.  
  
"A past like hers doesn't just get left behind Brian. You should know that as well as anyone." Dom said with a frown. Brian let it go and sat down with Mia. He didn't argue with Dom, but he wanted to. Kat did have a checkered past but she was trying to clean up and she was so young. She didn't deserve to have what she did as a teenager held against her for the rest of her life. Dom should know that better then anyone and Brian decided to point that out after a few minutes of contemplation.  
  
"Imagine where you'd be if everyone felt that we should continue to hold what people've done in the past, when they were little more then children, against them for the rest of their lives." With that little bomb shell Brian walked out of the room. He knew that would make Dom think. And while he wasn't going to mess up his friendship with Dom over Kat he figured a small dose of reality would do Dom some good.  
  
Letty looked up at Dom from her vantage point on the floor. She figured he was gonna explode. But he looked more lost in thought that a murderous rage. He would normally have gotten really mad to have what he did to Kenny Linder thrown in his face like that, but he did seem like he was going to kill Brian. That was progress. Maybe Dom would learn something about judging people. But Letty still didn't want the girl around. She didn't like Dom and Dom would see that as a challenge.  
  
After the guys let Kat up she took a shower and went to bed. She found it hard to sleep because every time she closed her eyes she relived her car wreck. It hadn't been a big deal till she was in a position to have to race again. She should be dead after all, and her poor car had just been repaired. She figured that the guys wouldn't let anything happen to her anyway. They had beaten the snot out of the guy who ran her off the road last time so it was doubtful that anyone would try that shit again. Besides they were just haters anyway, jealous of her because she could put the petal to the metal. She finally fell into a restless sleep.  
  
She woke up the next day and headed to work. Her tummy had butterflies over her race that night. She was very nervous about how she would do. She hoped Sean had time to go over her car before the races tonight. She knew she was a competent mechanic but no one had looked the car over since she finished the mechanical work and only Sean knew how to set up the NOS system, the engine management system, and the turbo boost control correctly. She'd done it from memory and had no idea if it was done correctly or not.  
  
She entered the store, tossed her stuff down and gave Brian and Harry a half hearted smile. The two men knew something was up with her right away. Normally she was full of good humor and smiles for them. Brian decided to try and cheer her up.  
  
"So you got my friend Leon in a knot girl, what did you say to him?" Brian asked with a smile.  
  
Kat's face turned to a look of panic and she stammered out "Nothin. Why? What did he tell you?"  
  
"Chill out Kitten, he didn't tell me anything. He was just lost in thought last night and Vince and Dom were teasing him it was over you. We all got the sense he was into you when he came back in here to talk to you alone yesterday. That's all. What has you so upset? Did he say anything to you?" Brian couldn't imagine Leon being rude to her, but she sure was upset by the thoughts of Leon talking about her to them.  
  
"No, nothing like that Brian, he is just sure he knows me from somewhere is all. I'm kinda off today because the now that my car is ready I have to start to race again. And the first race Sean has in mind for me is tonight. And I haven't done more'n the speed limit since my wreck. I shoulda died in that car, everyone says it's a miracle I'm still around. And to make it even better, no one has gone over the car since I rebuilt it. I'm good but I don't know if I trust the job I did on some stuff. And Sean likely won't have time to check it before tonight which means that the electronics could be out of calibration for the new moddes."  
  
"Well that's easy enough to solve Kat, we'll go to Dom's and have the car checked out by Jesse and Leon. Jesse is the best mechanic out there and Leon knows Skylines better'n anyone. I can't have my new star employee hurt and off work. We need you around. Your evo parts arrived today. They're waiting to be displayed and that's what you're doing this afternoon but hey we can take an hour and get your car vetted out. Can't we Harry?"  
  
"Sure you kids take off and have the car checked. It's not busy today, and I'll be fine for an hour. Say hi to Dom for me. I've got an MX-6 running crappy I'll be sending down for a friend tomorrow, can you make sure he'll have time for it while your there?"  
  
"Sure Bro, no problem. Come on Kitten."  
  
"You could take it and I could stay here and start on the display Brian. Ok?"  
  
"Nope, come on, it's your car, they might need to know stuff about it that I don't know." She scuffed her feet right out the door, she did not want to see Leon again this soon. She still had her very explicit daydream in her mind. Brian knew she was trying to avoid his team but he wasn't letting her get away with it. Plus he really didn't know a lot about her car and if they needed to know something about it to check it he wouldn't have a clue. Brian could drive, and work on his car to some extent but he left the complicated stuff to the other guys. And he had a feeling that everything about a skyline was complicated. They took her car down together and parked it at a side door. Jesse came right over.  
  
"What's up guys?"  
  
"Kat's got her first race tonight since she rebuilt the car and she wants someone else's opinion on whether or not it's ready to go. I told her that you and Leon would look it over." Brian told Jesse.  
  
"Well, I got time but Leon's gone out for the afternoon and I don't think he'll be back." Jesse looked at Kat like he expected her to be upset by this news and instead he found her to be relieved.  
  
"That's ok, I'm sure it's fine Brian." She said with a smile, thinking they would just go back to work now. Brian had other plans.  
  
"Well if not Jesse'll find what's wrong. He's the best mechanic I've ever seen. I mean that." Brian smiled. "You can trust him with your car, besides its likely perfectly fine as it is."  
  
"Ok, Jesse can check it over. I'd feed better if someone else checked the NOS system and the turbo setup for me. I never had to set those up before." Besides she was grateful to have the car checked. She just hadn't wanted to see Leon. She was fine with Jesse, he was nice and he was harmless, in that she definitely wasn't into him as more then a friend.  
  
"Pull it in here and I'll check over the systems for you." Jesse said with a smile.  
  
She pulled in into the garage and they popped the hood. Jesse started to check over the car. He made a few adjustments here and there. He retorqued the bolts on the intake and adjusted a few things to do with the air fuel mix and the NOS timer. He didn't find anything major, just stuff that would keep the car from performing up to its top performance. But with this car even a mediocre performance would be good enough to beat most of the stuff that should be around tonight. Jesse was under the car making some adjustments to the adjustable shocks, lowering the car's center of gravity just a bit when Dom came up. Kat was leaned under the hood of the car, talking to Jesse who was under it through the engine compartment.  
  
"What's her car doin' here? I thought her and her friend were mechanics?" Dom did not understand why Brian kept bringing her around, even when he had as much as told him point blank to stop. They were out of ear shot of Jesse and Kat.  
  
"Yeah, well her friend Sean is anyway. She isn't, she's just good with cars. But since she rebuilt this one no one has checked it over and she didn't trust it totally because of that. And her first race since her big accident is tonight. I told her that Jess and Leon would look it over." Brian watched the two young people chat away about god knew what, cars no doubt. It was all either of 'em ever talked about.  
  
"Brian, I don't think her being around here is a good idea. I don't want any trouble." Dom didn't know what kind of trouble he was expecting, but he somehow knew that the girl meant trouble.  
  
"God Bro, she's not trouble. She's just a chick that works for me alright? I don't wanna know she ended up in another accident because no one checked out her car after she did an amateur rebuild on it ok? Jesse's the best. If he says the car is ready then it is. If she drives the way she does everything else, then she drives with a total disregard for her own safety and with a total disregard for her limits. She tends to just jump right into stuff." Brian was determined to get Dom and Kat to some sort of truce.  
  
"Fine, this time, but don't make a habit of bringing her around aight?" Dom shook his head.  
  
"Fine, I won't. By the way, Harry wants to drop an MX-6 off to you tomorrow. He says it's runnin' like shit."  
  
"That's cool." Dom went back to his office and Brian walked up to the car and leaned under the hood with Kat. "So, how's it look?"  
  
"Nothin' serious wrong with it. A few bolts torqued wrong and the shocks shoulda been lower I think but we got it nearly all done now. It should be good to roll." Jesse said from under the car. The way they had it parked the engine was lit up by the daylight coming in the open bay door and Kat and Brian had there backs to the door.  
  
Leon came back from running errands all afternoon ready to finish up that Acura he left behind him at lunch. He saw Brian and someone leaned over a car. Wait a second, he though, I know that car, I know the ass on the girl too. It was Kat. He admired the view for a minute then walked up to them.  
  
"The turbo lags sometimes, any idea's on that Jess?" She asked. Since she had the 'mad scientist' at her disposal, she figured she may as well use his knowledge. She and Jesse had kinda clicked right away. She didn't get that, she didn't normally like new people, but there was a lot of stuff about Jesse that was very similar to stuff that had happened to her.  
  
"What kind of controls do you have on it?" Jesse was totally in his element. He wished he had been involved in building the car, not just fixing it now.  
  
"Well I have the adjustable boost controller, and upgraded turbo elbows, it's a twin turbo of course, and they're not the stock turbos, they're HKS 1.2 bar, with the 4 inch intake. I have a standalone fuel management system, I don't know as much about that as I should, Sean and Stacy set it up, but it has a computer screen in the car. There is so much I.C.E. in the car; I don't know what half of it does. It was all there before the wreck and most of that stuff was fine after the accident. Oh and I have the HKS cam, and pulleys. I think Sean got most of the aftermarket stuff from HKS. It was up around 800 horse the last time it was on a DynoJet but that was before the accident and I went all out this time. The VeilSide body kit is new. Should be closer to 900 horse if it's tuned right this time."  
  
Jesse said something along the lines of no fucking way and she heard a whistle behind her. She turned around to see who was behind her. And there was Leon.  
  
"You serious about all that stuff?" Leon asked. She would give him a run for his money if she was. The 99 Skyline, GT-R, V-Spec, done up from HKS would be an unreal car.  
  
"Yeah, I'm serious. That's how I build it. Why? Is there something about HKS I don't know?"  
  
"Only if you didn't know they're the best." Leon smiled. Then reminded himself he didn't really like her.  
  
"I knew that, that's why I wanted the car to be built from their parts. But I did all the turbo work myself so Jesse is having a look for me and checking the adjustment on the shocks too." She turned back around. Leon walked over and looked at the car from the side.  
  
"You got it about an inch too low Jess." Leon crouched down and said this to Jesse's feet which were hanging out the side of the car.  
  
"How can you tell that?" Kat asked. How could anyone see that amount of distance?  
  
"I know skylines. There have been times when my car was the only good thing in my life." Leon shut up and looked embarrassed to have said that. Kat just nodded. She knew what he meant. Jesse fixed the shocks up a small amount and Leon pronounced that better. Then he looked over her setup and told Jesse to retorque this one bolt again, because they had a tendency to work loose. Then they were done. Jesse closed the hood and she started the car up.  
  
She could feel the difference in it already. She revved it to 6000 rpm and it felt good. Jesse waved and Leon walked up to her window. 


	10. Welcoming Kat home

AN: Well, 10 chapters and only 19 reviews? I hope you all can do better'n that! J/K. But does it suck? Is that why no one is reviewing it? Even if you think it does suck I wanna know and I wanna know why you think it sucks too. Or if its good just tell me that too.  
  
Chapter 10 - Welcoming Kat home  
  
Where you racin tonight? I never heard of races tonight." He asked her.  
  
"I'm racing in my neck of the woods tonight. Just small time but I haven't raced since my wreck." She looked down at her indiglow gages rather then look up at this man, that made her feel so odd.  
  
"You're nervous?" Leon asked incredulously. Leon couldn't believe the girl who owned the attitude was nervous about anything. "You don't seem like the type to be nervous to me; you seem like a fly by the seat of your pants, never say never kinda girl."  
  
*You don't know the half of it* she thought and then said, "You got me, but, well, I should be dead. This is what the car looked like after my wreck." She pulled a picture of the car out of the glove box. The hood was crumpled, the roof was collapsed. The windshield was shattered out, as was the driver's window. It was bad. Most cars woulda been a write off but not a car worth as much as a GT-R Skyline. "I walked away and the guys called me miracle Kitten for weeks after."  
  
"I can see why. This is bad." That sounded too mild for what the picture was of. You saw them talk about fatalities on the news and the cars didn't look as smashed. Leon was in shock that she had walked away from this wreck. Less had killed people before. "So you haven't raced since?"  
  
"Haven't had a car to race since. This is it, my only race car. I wish I had two but I don't." She gave him a cheesy smile, like she knew he knew she only had one car, and knew it was a stupid question.  
  
"Ok smarty, how do you know you're ready? You could be out of practice if you haven't raced in months." He regretted saying it as soon as it left his mouth and he saw her face fall. Brian kicked him in the shin where Kat couldn't see for the stupid statement. Leon looked at Brian like he got the point. "Of course, you'll do fine. I can tell you're too stubborn to lose."  
  
"Well I hope so. Hitting a telephone pole at 120 wasn't fun." She looked at her TV screen, watched the graph move as the mix changed. "I don't feel ready." She said in a small voice. She glanced at him then and Leon was sorry he brought it up.  
  
"Well, I could go somewhere with you and race you for," What could they race for? He wanted to say a date, or a kiss, but he held that back and said, "say, the loser washes and waxes the winners car for a month, once a week. You know, just to see if your gonna be aight." He didn't know why he wanted to help this girl. It could have something to do with the fact she reminded him of Jesse, and that she was so tough and icy, but with vulnerability and fire under the surface. He wondered why she put on the act.  
  
"Ok cowboy, you're on. I hope you like washing cars in August, cause that's went mine can be waxed." She winked at him. She'd never been able to back down from a challenge. Even as a little kid any time anyone had challenged her to anything she'd obliged them. Even stupid stuff, stuff that wasn't even a contest. In school she'd always had to be the first one done of tests and stuff. That attitude had adapted to racing very easily. She continued. "Where can we do this?" She was going to ask Brian to race her anyway and Leon's car was a better match for hers. She would feel better if she had driven at high speeds before the race that night.  
  
"There's a little track not far from here, Brian knows the way. I'll meet you guys there." Leon walked over to his car and watched them pull away, Brian giving Kat directions. Dom had listened to the whole exchange.  
  
"Don't tell me you really are falling for her Leon. Please. I don't want her around." Dom groaned out.  
  
"I'm not falling for her man, did you hear her? She was scared. That girl ain't scared a'nothin', but she's terrified of racing her car. I heard 'bout her before her accident and she was hot, she was on her way up. Now she's scared of her car. You two don't get along cause your too damn much alike." Leon shook his head. Plus he was intrigued by her. He still knew he knew her from somewhere. "Member how hard it was for you to race that stretch a'road after you rolled the charger?"  
  
Dom grunted non-committaly. But he did remember. "Ok, so maybe she needs the confidence booster of racing someone without having a bad wreck, but you sure that's all this is about? You can't just screw this one and walk away Leon. Her friends'll be around here and that'll be the end of ya. We couldn't even defend you or the whole Tiger gang would be down here shooting the place up."  
  
"I know she ain't a race skank Dawg."  
  
"Ok, then go ahead and go play race cars with the little chick."  
  
"She doesn't play at anything Dawg, I'd say that's half her problem. She sure as hell doesn't play at racing in that car. I'd say she takes racing pretty seriously. But see ya." Leon got into his car and headed for the little track.  
  
He knew that with the help of Jesse his car was super fast, he hoped that that, coupled with the fact that he had way more experience would give him the edge. He hated to lose and he didn't care for washing cars either. The he realized he had made a fatal error in this bet. He had to let her win. It wasn't very confidence inspiring to have your ass handed to you. Damn it. He didn't even really like her and now he was gonna be washing and waxing her car once a week for the whole month of August.  
  
Kat pulled into the track and stopped the car. "It was nice of Leon to offer to do this wasn't it Brian?"  
  
"Yeah, it was, but he's a nice guy. You want me to ride with you or wait on the side?"  
  
"Better wait on the side, after all, I gotta do it alone tonight, plus the car doesn't need to haul your extra weight around."  
  
"Ok. There he is, let's do this." Brian got out of the car and walked over to the benches. Leon lined up beside Kat and rolled down his window. She did the same.  
  
"You ready?" Leon asked. He was so not looking forward to waxing her car. He hoped she wouldn't be able to tell he let her win.  
  
"I'm ready. Let's do this. Who's gonna call the start?" Leon shrugged. She looked at Brian. "Hey Brian, come start us off."  
  
Brian walked over and stood just in front of them and in the middle. He got both their attention and they revved their cars. Brian dropped his arms and they both took off.  
  
Leon got an early lead, he did better off the line then Kat. But she caught him quickly. He got ahead of her again and she caught him. This went on up and up and before she knew it the finish line was looming. She realized that she was going 110. She panicked for a second, but she realized that she had to do this, get past this feeling if she was going to win ever again, she took a deep breathe then floored it and shifted up. She zoomed past Leon and over the line a hair ahead of him.  
  
"Whoooo." She screamed. She won. But she coulda gone faster. She hadn't pushed it. But she could've. Right? Sure she could've. She just hadn't needed to. And the fact that she was never this shaky after a race didn't mean anything. She had herself almost convinced she was fine, that she wasn't kidding herself. She knew in her heart that she had been too terrified to go faster. She had only hit 120 and that didn't win races, well it might in her 'hood, but not where the big boys raced. She knew if Leon was really racing her he would have walked away with this one because she didn't really push it, but she didn't really get the feeling he'd let her win either.  
  
Leon was impressed, he had seen her panic and had figured she was gonna lose it and spin out, but she floored it and won. He almost hadn't thrown the race. She had caught him unaware with that sudden burst of speed. He'd been sort of pacing her and then she'd shot forward out of no where. He stopped the car right beside hers and got out. He walked up to her car and opened the door. She got out and walked over to him.  
  
She was laughing out "I did it. I did it." He laughed at her happiness.  
  
"I guess you did. See that wasn't so bad was it?" Leon grinned down at her. When she was happy it was hard not to be happy with her.  
  
"Not bad at all, and you owe me a month of car washes." She smirked up and him. And he did the stupidest thing of his adult life. He gave into the urge and kissed her, hard. And she responded to his kiss like he only could have hoped. She was at least physically into him too. They both broke apart and looked at each other. Man, and they said he was the level headed one on the team. Vince was supposed to be the impulsive one.  
  
"Um, that shouldn't have happened." They both said at the same time and laughed at each other.  
  
"Well, now that we got that out of the way, I guess you should get back to Dom, and Brian and I should have been back at the store half an hour ago." She was sure she was beet red, but hey, Leon wasn't doing too much better.  
  
"Ok, you did good. You'll do fine." Leon climbed back into his car and shook his head at his foolishness. After he promised Dom he wasn't going to get involved with her he kisses her. What was he thinking? Well he was thinking with the wrong part of his anatomy.  
  
Kat drove back to the waiting Brian and they headed back to work. Leon went back to the garage and took some good natured ribbing that the girl had beaten him and he owed her one month of washes for her car. Letty looked at him like she knew the score but Dom just laughed his ass off at Leon's misfortune, till he realized that this meant that Kat would be around once a week for a month, then he stalked off to his office.  
  
"So her car worked ok?" Jesse asked. He loved to know when his tuning helped.  
  
"She beat me didn't she?" Leon said with a sigh. He hated washing cars. He normally got his hand washed somewhere when it needed to be done. Jesse figured the sigh was over the fact that Leon got beaten by a girl and grinned at his brother. Guys hated it when chicks beat them. Jesse included.  
  
"I wanna go watch her race." Letty wanted to see what the girl was really made of. Whenever a new girl was introduced to the group Letty got paranoid about her being around only to go after Dom. And while Mia had assured her that Kat didn't even seem to like Dom that much Letty didn't trust either of them. Dom tended to forget himself in the thrill of the conquest and girls normally fell over themselves to get to him. But if the girl really was a good racer then that would sort of make it better because then Letty would know the girl was around the scene cause she really had to be to race.  
  
"No way girl. Dream on. She's not racing with our crowd and there's no way we're going down around her place just to watch races. That's where I was robbed, at gunpoint, remember? The yet unsolved crime." No way was Leon going back down there ever again, not even to see Kat race.  
  
"I guess." Letty said, she was one tough bitch and nothing scared her. But she didn't know what it was like in Kat's neighbourhood. They had no call to be down there and if Letty tried to go Leon was telling Dom. She'd have to wait till Kat started to race in their crowd if she wanted to see the girl race. Leon had no doubt that Kat would be on their scene soon. After all their races were where the best raced and that's the scene she wanted to conquer.  
  
"Letty, if I even think you're goin down there I'm tellen' Dom. Got it?"  
  
"Ok Leon, damn it, I'll stay home." She went back to the civic she was working on and Leon finished the Acura. He couldn't get Kat out of his head. She was so intriguing to him. She was so innocent but not, and there was still the matter of where he knew her from. He was going to figure that mystery out if it killed him. There was the little matter of Dom not wanting her around, but Leon could start to get to know her without Dom knowing if he was careful about how he did it. This was all assuming that the girl would even allow him close enough to get to know her better. She was so touchy and Leon had this feeling she didn't want him around any more then Dom wanted her around. The whole situation was very suspicious.  
  
Brian and Kat took themselves back to the store and made her display. Both Brian and Harry were impressed with her artistic vision for the Evo display, some people that didn't even own Evos where likely going to see what she had done and go buy one. That took the rest of the afternoon though and when it was done she went home. Brian and Harry wished her luck on her way out the door and she gave them a tight smile.  
  
She tried to eat with the guys but she was too nervous to eat. She left the guys to finish up and went pick an outfit to wear. She knew that if she looked anything less then fabulous people wouldn't take her return seriously. She wanted the three grand this was worth more then anything. She picked out a pair of denim low rise flair pants that didn't have a waistband and a shirt that was like a halter top on the top half but had a V on the bottom, leaving her tummy and navel ring to show. Then she picked out her boots with the three inch flat sole for driving and decided that'd be fine. If she won tonight they had enough for a down payment on a house and they could start looking for a new place. That was very important to Kat.  
  
It was only about 9pm and races weren't till 12. What was she going to do till then? She was going out of her mind thinking about all the whatifs that were running through her mind. What if she crashed, what if she choked, what if she just plain lost? What if she was never as good as she thought? Well she knew she had been good, but that was months ago and it felt like it had been another time. Things had changed. She'd changed. What if she'd grown up and lost her edge? Back then she'd never had a worry in her head, never had any responsibility. All she did was party and race. And blow the money on whatever she wanted. Now she needed it and she felt every one of her 19 years and then some. Well lots of people way older then her raced and were good at it. She'd just have to try to race for the fun of it even though they needed the money, then she'd be fine.  
  
She decided to take a nice long bath and read. Then she'd do her hair. That'd take her an hour and a half or so. She filled the tub with hot water and bubbles. Her secret girly addiction. She loved bubble bath. She sat back in the bath and started to read. She figured there was no use worrying about it, she'd have to go, and try her best. If she failed, for whatever reason, at least she'd know she did her best. She beat Leon after all. She knew he'd gone easy on her, after all they hadn't even used NOS, but with her, that element of surprise was often what helped her take the lead in races. She got into her book.  
  
The guys were all sitting around in the living room, worrying almost as much as Kat. She had looked scared earlier and they hoped she wasn't going to flip out and not be able to race. But it was surely normal for her to be a little nervous about racing for the first time in months. But it just wasn't like her to be scared of racing. She use to live for it. None of them had ever had a bad wreck so they didn't really know what she was feeling now that she had to start all over again. They could hear her splashing around in the bathroom as she washed her hair. Hopefully she'd be more relaxed and ready to go when she was done.  
  
She got out of the bathtub and dried off. Then she did her hair. It took forever to blow dry because of how long and thick it was. When she had it dry it was straight and smooth. It was also now down to her butt. She figured it was time to get it cut. It was a pain in the ass. It never looked this long when it was all crimpy. She started to do her makeup. She put on silver eye shadow then black eyeliner. She added berry lip gloss and she was ready. She didn't require any more makeup then that. She looked at herself in the mirror. It was the same face staring back at her. The same girl she'd always been. She looked outwardly just as cocky, just as assertive. But inside she was that 15 year old girl who ran from the terrible fate that had been planned for her with tears in her eyes.  
  
She put her hands on her hips and started to talk to herself, she figured she could use the pep talk.  
  
"Now, suck it up girl. You ran across the country in a stolen car. You lived in this neighbourhood for 4 years and thrived. You kicked all the ass there was to kick when you raced before. And that was only 6 months ago not years ago. You went to public schools in south central LA and lived to tell about it. You take care of three guys. You don't take shit from anyone. You can do this. You beat someone driving another skyline. You are good. You are the best. And you will do this and you will be just fine. You will get this money and you will all get to move to a better place. It will all work out." She nodded at herself. It worked. Reminding herself of her roots and what she was capable of had calmed her down and she was ready. She walked into the living room. The guys could sense the change in her demeanor.  
  
"I'm ready. Let's go." She said.  
  
"Aight girl, lets go." Sean answered.  
  
"But I was thinking, the Skyline seats 4 now and I think we should all take it. I don't think your car could get away from the cops on the off chance any show up. We know we can get away in the Skyline." She didn't want the guys to get caught by the cops in Sean's slow ass car.  
  
"Good idea." Stacy added, he didn't want to get caught.  
  
They all piled into Sean's car for the ride to Stacy's to pick up the car. They got it out and climbed in and headed back their way to meet the other racers. They pulled in and got a parking spot. The windows were all tinted out black as sin and the car was quickly surrounded while all the regulars tried to figure out who the fresh meat was. The engine was cut and everyone looked at the picture the car made. In addition to her custom paint job she had a purple neon underbody glow kit, purple headlight glows, black lights in the back window and on the front dash as well as in the truck with the stereo. She had custom Altec tail lights with purple LED's lighting them up as well. She had purple neon under the front seats and it was rigged to spit fire out the tailpipe when she was ready to race. She had a system that almost snorted steam out the front tire wells. She knew that no one would recognize the car now from what it had looked like before.  
  
They opened up the doors and stepped out of the car. Gasps were heard as people realized who this was. The murmuring was a steady hum as people gossiped about what it meant that Kat and crew were back on the scene. There was one guy that rolled with many different groups of racers. His name was Edwin, and he remembered Kat from before. He was the guy that organized the races around here. He normally didn't race down here. But someone else might have to hold the money tonight cause if Kat was racing he'd be tempted. He walked up to Kat and her team as she stood up out of the drivers seat of her car and put her hands on her hips, her mouth open a little in thought and her little pink tongue running over the top right of her lips in thought.  
  
The familiar sights had assaulted her senses right away. The throbbing bass of 50 different songs. It was mostly rap in this 'hood. The scantily clad women and the bling on the necks and hands of the guys. The brightly colored cars, so shiny. Many of the paint jobs on these cars were worth more then the average car on the road. And all the different colors of aftermarket lighting, blinking and flashing. The smell of exhaust, race cars had this distinctive exhaust, still so full of gas that it smelled like exhaust and high octane, burnt rubber, NOS, and people. Being here to Kat was like being at a carnival to a child, all the sights and sounds and lights. Then she noticed Edwin.  
  
"Edwin, my man, what's up?" She asked him and they hit their closed fists like old times.  
  
"Was shaping up to be an ordinary night till you all rolled up. Now things are looken up. You racen'?"  
  
"Of course, you see this car?" She answered. In the middle of this crowd, of this scene, her old attitude returned. She was in her element, and this was her life. She ate, slept and lived racing. Nothing else mattered. Not now, not here. Racing was life, it was oxygen. The streets home, this whole crowd family for tonight, her car merely an extension of her own body, her blood like gasoline and NOS. Her nail polish and makeup like her car's paint, it wasn't part of who she really was, it was all part of the show. 


	11. Racin' with hopes and Dreams

Chapter 11 - Racin' with Hopes and Dreams  
  
"How we doin' this then Kat. You'll be the big dawg down here tonight, what were you thinken' for a buy in?" Edwin called the shots around there but even Edwin knew the tigers answered to no one.  
  
Kat had been thinking of the 1000 dollar minor race, but it was clear that she had to let Edwin set her up a main event if she was ever gonna be taken seriously again. But it was so much to gamble. They had 4 grand with them. That was the max she could go for. She didn't want to do that. But she had to do something drastic or everyone would think she was a joke. She looked at the guys, they told her with their looks that whatever she felt was ok by them. She didn't want to let them down. But she didn't want to let herself down even worse.  
  
"Ok Edwin, you set it up, 4 grand buy in or, if they wanna race the kid and they don't have it they can throw their keys on the line." She smirked. They use to call her 'the kid' cause she started to race when she was 15. A ripple of excitement went through the crowd. 4 grand was a huge buy in for what they normally raced for. "That is of course, if you can find me 3 people who have the money, or wanna lose their cars."  
  
Edwin laughed. This was Kat 'the kid'. She hadn't changed. God help them all. He figured that three guys were losing 4 grand each tonight. He stood back from her and looked around at the crowd. "Here's how we're doin' this. One race, winner takes all. 4 G's or your keys to get in on it. You're racin' the kid, so you'd better know what your doin'. This ain't for amateurs."  
  
The first challenger stepped up. "I'm in." He handed Edwin 4 grand.  
  
"Whatchya driven?" Edwin didn't know this guy. "You ain't from 'round here. Do you know what you're getten' into?"  
  
"It's all good brotha'. I got it. I'm driving that Evo over there." The man pointed at a blue Evo. It was a nice car. "So am I worthy?"  
  
Edwin knew the answer to this one. "We don't know yet, but you're in." The crowd cheered. Another guy walked up and handed Edwin 4 grand. "I'm in." Edwin knew this guy. Mazda RX-7. He'd only be competition for Kat till about 120 then she'd have him. But it wouldn't be a run away for her so the guy was in. But the race wouldn't go off till they had a fourth racer. Edwin looked around. No one seemed like they were gonna take a chance. It was a little richer then they normally ran for. Edwin would go for it if a fourth didn't step up.  
  
Kat looked around. "All you big guys are scared to race a chick. Well, I'm glad to know you all acknowledge my superiority." She laughed, head thrown back. They were scared to race her. This was very good. A deep voice answered her call,  
  
"I'm in. But I don't have the cash, so I will, as you say, throw my keys on the line." Everyone turned to look at the man that said that. He was also new around the scene. The new man was tall and Asian, no one knew who he was, but everyone knew that he was a long way from home. Kat looked him up and down. He was very tall and quite nice looking. She wondered why he was in this neighbourhood to race, and what he'd been thinking coming down here on his own.  
  
"Your not that attached to your car I guess?" She smirked at him.  
  
"I am quite attached to it, but I won't be losing it so it makes no difference. Am I in?"  
  
"Well that depends on what you're driven." Kat told him.  
  
"Ah, of course. The car is over this way." The man led them over to the back corner of the lot, where a dark silver Eclipse Spyder convertible sat. He popped the hood and Sean looked under to check out what kind of equipment the man had.  
  
"He's got a HKS racer exhaust, HKS high flow cold air intake, HKS T51R Turbo kit with variable boost control, Direct port NOS system, and a stand alone fuel management system. And he has almost as much ICE as you do Kitten."  
  
"So his car's worth the better part of 60 grand." Kat said with a smile. "You're in. I can't wait to feel the wind in my hair in that great convertible."  
  
The man with the Spyder was confident he would have this girl's money by the end of the night. He wondered what she would do to get it back. He gave her a speculative look. The people around looked at him like he was insane. No one messed with Kat. Guys had tried, she either froze them out, or her boys beat them up. No one wanted to go there anymore. But the new guy didn't seem to get that.  
  
Kat didn't like the way he was looking at her. She was gonna enjoy taking his car at the end of this evening. He was so arrogant, and so in for an attitude adjustment. If he thought he was the first guy to step to her and figure he had a race in the bag 'cause she was a girl, he was gonna find out quick how wrong he was.  
  
"Well, let's do this then." Edwin shouted and announced the street they would do it on. Kat smiled to herself. That course involved turning a corner to get in the full ¼ mile. She had this in the bag. Not one of these cars could corner like her baby. She could drift all the corners or stick them solid and beat them either way. Where had all the insecurity gone she asked herself in a moment of worry but it was gone in an instant when she thought of selling that silver car.  
  
They lined up on the red painted start line that two skanks had painted on the road. She always looked down on those girls. Maybe it came from the fact her brother had tried to sell her into that life and maybe it came from seeing the way her brothers had treated them but she just didn't understand how they let themselves be treated like that. She looked to her left and saw the kid in the Evo, looking nervous. Good, she though, nervous loses races. Besides that an Evo only had about 270 horsepower from the factory and she could tell by the way the car sounded and sat on it's suspension that this one wasn't lowered. She figured if the kid didn't lower it he didn't do a lot of other stuff that he should've. He was gonna find out the hard way tonight that you didn't run with this sort of crowd until your car was finished.  
  
Beyond him was the guy in the RX-7. It was a nice car, but she could take him in the corners over 100 she figured. RX-7 had more horsepower then an Evo, and only had a 5 speed shift, unless the guy had swapped it for a 6. If he only had the stock 5 gears then he was going to be able to gain on her when she went from third to fourth later then he would have to. But she still had him in the horsepower department and her car should be more agile then his. However her all wheel drive system made her car harder to drift then his would be so if he was a good drifter he could take the corner better then her. It was hard to make the skyline drift because of the automatic YAW control and the AWD. She still figured that when the speeds hit triple digits she'd take him.  
  
Then she glanced at her right, and there was the Asian dude. She didn't know who he was or where he came from, but she sensed that he was her only real competition. His car was low to the ground, the role cage ruining the convertible look to a certain extent. The car was never truly topless because a steel bar went overhead at all times. By the sound of the exhaust it had a high flow system. If he hadn't swapped out the trannie he also had only 5 forward gears. At the speeds that she and this man were gonna reach it shouldn't help him that much early and her 6th gear would help her late. His car being the GT-S had a 3.0 V6, and stock put out about 205 horse. Of course this car was not stock. She'd seen the moddes. And she estimated he was now running at around 450. She might be estimating high, but that was better then low. It also redlined at 6200 not the 8000 her Skyline did. She should be able to take him easily but she got this feeling that the fight in this guy was huge.  
  
She checked over her systems. She lifted a flap on the passenger seat and turned on the 'sneaky Pete' NOS system and opened the tank valve. She fixed the seat then pressed a button to turn on her fuel and NOS management system. The small monitor mounted to the dash turned on and displayed a snarling tiger while the system booted. After boot up it showed a fluctuating bar graph of the mix going into the idling engine of her car. Everything looked good. It was running very well since Jesse had tuned it for her. She revved her engine and the tailpipe spewed flames. The crowd cheered. The man in the Eclipse did the same trick.  
  
Edwin looked at them again. They had no need to wait for the cops to be called away down here, he was just letting the tension build and the racers get ready before he started them off. Kat looked ready, as did the Asian man. It was bothering him where he knew that man from. He realized the guy was definitely a Tran, but Edwin couldn't place which one. But the he had no beef with the Trans personally and since the Trans couldn't have anything against any of these racers he couldn't see an issue with letting the race continue. He looked at the four racers and raised his arms. He waited till all eyes were on him then dropped his arms to his sides.  
  
The four cars screamed off the line and off down the road.  
  
The kid in the Evo broke off the line badly. He was pretty well out of the race already. He kept after the other three but after loosing even that small amount of ground he was already too far off the pace to catch up.  
  
The man in the Mazda took an early lead, followed by the Eclipse and finally Kat was currently in last place of the three people still in the running. She had expected for the RX-7 to get out in front of her but not the Eclipse. She pushed the petal to the floor and the factory engine monitoring system beeped telling her it was time to shift up to second. She shot up and got in line with the Eclipse. With the pedal to the floor she overtook him. She was closing on the Mazda.  
  
Tran watched her go with a smile; he had lots of time to catch her. She was bound to slip up then he'd capitalize on her mistake and overtake her. He checked over his gages and everything was within normal specs. Such a small girl child couldn't drive like he could. He had been taught by in his mind, the best racer ever.  
  
The man in the Mazda watched the black Skyline flying up on him in the side mirror for a split second. It sounded like a jet engine about to take off. Of course with a strait pipe exhaust that was hard to control, and who would want to? And the front grill on a skyline looked downright mean. Just like it's driver when it came to racing. His foot was to the floor but he was losing ground to her. He checked his gages and shifted up to third.  
  
Tran checked his stats and gave his car a little more gas. He hit third. He slowly started to catch up to Kat.  
  
Kat checked everything over then shifted to third. She flew ahead of both men like a purple blur of light. The RX-7 became a streak of blue in her rearview, but she couldn't see the silver car so she knew he was right on her fender in her blind spot. She still had her foot to the floorboard and the car was just roaring. She looked down and saw that she was at 90mph. She saw the tail of the Eclipse in her rearview and guessed that the other guy was now in fourth. He gained on her. She could now see the front clip of his car in her side mirror.  
  
Tran gave it more gas and checked stuff over. He was almost ready for NOS. Then he remembered the corner that was coming. Could he use NOS to get ahead of her and still get to a speed that would let him take the corner without burning out? Maybe. He had to decide now how bad he wanted to win.  
  
Kat knew she'd have to stick her shift to 4th or she'd give him a window to catch her. She shifted up and lost a small amount of ground. He was now visible out her window in her peripheral vision. She was thinking she was gonna have to use her NOS to get ahead of him and then drift the corner. At these speeds the stability controls of the car were gonna fight her all the way on that. The car wanted to stick to the road not drift across it sideways. She saw she was now going 120 and she started to pant, she wasn't sure if she was scared or incredibly high on adrenaline. She knew when the adrenaline was flowing because she tasted it. Some called it the taste of fear, and in a way they were right, it was part of the fight or flight response, but she knew it was the taste of risk, of excitement. The sweet taste of honey on pennies in her mouth.  
  
Then she remembered Leon telling her she'd do fine and she very briefly closed her eyes then hit the NOS. For some reason the thoughts of letting Leon find out she lost were painful. The tires squealed and she was thrown back into the Sparco seat with considerable force. Then she did something that was either going to be the gutsiest move she ever made, or the stupidest. She touched a button on her aftermarket LCD screen that disabled the Yaw and traction controls on her car. Now she was totally on her own. If she started to skid or anything she'd be on her own and would have to compensate for it herself. She'd done that before at drifting competitions but speed didn't count there, form did and she'd never done anything like this at this speed.  
  
Tran could not believe the girl had used NOS before the turn, he had been considering it himself but he did not think the girl had it in her. He quickly checked and also used his NOS. He almost caught her with the NOS and the corner was right ahead. He prepared himself to take the corner, he was going to have to slow down slightly, but as he and the girl were now in a dead heat that should be ok, because she would also have to slow down. The corner loomed right ahead. He began to decelerate slightly.  
  
Kat was going 130, she'd never tried anything like this corner at this speed. She'd normally slow down to 100 and let the traction system stick the corner but not this time. She sped up to 135. If she was gonna do something potentially this stupid then she was gonna go all out too.  
  
Tran saw the imamate corner and started to slow down. It then became apparent the girl wasn't going to do the same, in fact he would have to think she was going faster then she had been. He had no idea what she was planning to do, but he thought she was crazy and they would be scraping her off that warehouse on the corner in about 1 second. He'd win by default after she killed herself. The thought didn't hold any joy for him. He wanted to beat the girl, but not see her dead. However she must be slow witted to accelerate into that corner, even in a skyline. He slowed to 100 and took the corner like a left hand turn, just like normal people took it only twice as fast. 


	12. Runnin' her mouth

AN: I'm sorry that this is increadably long. I wanted to start to get to the real story and away from the set up stuff. This has lots of action and even a fight! Read it and let me know what you think. I mean lots of new story is a good thing right? Right! Enjoy.  
  
Chapter 12 - Running her Mouth  
  
Kat threw the wheel and the car sort of floated to a position 45 degrees different then that she had going forward. Her car made a terrible squeal and the rear tires smoked like they were on fire but did just what she had hoped. It drifted around the corner in a wide arc. It was pure beauty to a car enthusiast. Like automobile ballet. Her arc went too wide at the last second and she hit the curb.  
  
It was a jarring jolt to her sense and she was momentarily thrown. She cut the wheel and righted herself, but in doing so she had to slow down a little. It didn't matter because the arrogant ass that had been so sure of himself had slowed down and taken the corner in the normal fashion, he likely hadn't expected her to do it like she had and that had cost him almost a whole second plus all the time he was going to have to spend to reaccelerate.  
  
Tran was in shock. How had she managed to do that at 130 with the controls her car had governing the stability? It shouldn't have been possible. He would have a great deal of trouble catching her now, she was two full car lengths ahead of him and gaining. He downshifted and the engine growled. He floored it again and gave it the second shot of NOS. He was gaining on her, but he doubted it would be enough to catch her. However he wasn't giving up yet.  
  
Kat looked in her rearview and saw the silver car flying at her like a bullet, but she didn't figure he could catch her now. Even still she kept accelerating. She hit her 6th gear. She could see the finish line.  
  
Tran was almost to her bumper but his car was paying the price. He'd had to run 4th gear to past the redline and 5th was almost to the upper limit of what he could ask it to do. But he was moving up on her.  
  
This guy was a worthy competitor she thought. He was almost in her blind spot again and she'd had a big lead on him. The finish line was right there. She checked quickly and hit her second NOS. She flew away from him. She figured that was that, so she was quite surprised to see him still coming up on her.  
  
Tran wasn't giving up. He had an idea but it could cook his engine. He figured if he didn't do something he was giving his car away so why be cautious. He pressed and held both NOS buttons on his wheel down and this caused the NOS to continuously dump into the engine, not just in a quick burst but in a steady flow, the car growled in protest, the engine was set up for a NOS shot, not a steady burn, but it continued to close on the girl. He couldn't see the small tail of flame shooting out of his muffler. The crowd along the route cheered.  
  
Kat didn't know how the hell he was doing this, he should be falling back. He was well into the upper limits of his 5th gear and had used both shots of his NOS. Unless his car had some sort of way to use more then two shots of NOS. Well she was still a few thousand rpm away from hitting her redline so she floored it. The Skyline gave a battle roar as the powerful engine stepped it up and gave her 100%. She felt the front tires lift off the ground a bit due to the sheer amount of torque.  
  
She flew over the finish line half a car ahead of the man in the Eclipse. She got slowed down some and then she locked up the breaks in such way that the car spun a 360 and she drove back to the finish line where everyone was waiting. She got out of the car and the guys had her in a three way bear hug in seconds. She laughed and accepted congratulations.  
  
The Tran in the Eclipse was busy berating himself over underestimating his opponent. He really should have known better then to bet his car. It was no big loss to him, not like he had told them. He had many cars and this was one of his least favorites. He headed back to the finish. The girl was in the center of a big crowd but when they saw him the parted as if by magic to make a walkway for him.  
  
"Hey, great race Man. You really made me work for it." Kat told the stranger in a voice that was still breathy from the rush of the race.  
  
"Well, I seriously underestimated your racing skill, and now I am paying for it. You are one crazy girl to take that corner the way you did." Kat just smiled. "How did you do that? With the Skyline R34 it should have been impossible to cause the car to do that."  
  
"It should have been but not when the person who builds the car builds in an off switch for the traction controls and is also a big fan of drifting."  
  
"Ah, you disabled the traction system to allow this move to happen. I did underestimate you and your car. You were most worthy and the better racer won." He handed her his keys.  
  
Kat felt bad for the man. He'd lost his car, but he had so much dignity and he wasn't trying to make up excuses for why he lost. He'd underestimated her and the better racer had won. This man wasn't trying to hide that fact. She told him she appreciated that but that unless he could come up with 10,000 bucks to make it up to her she was still taking his car. She thought considering what the car would sell for that was more then fair.  
  
"Let me ask you, what is your name?" The guy asked her.  
  
"Kat." She held out her hand. "And you are?"  
  
"Ricky. Ricky Tran."  
  
Edwin overheard this and inwardly groaned. Johnny's little brother.  
  
"Well Ricky, do you wanna come up wit the money, or am I taken your car?"  
  
"You may have the car, not to sound stuck up but this is not even my best or favorite car so while it will be missed it is not the end of my world. You deserve to have the wind in your hair for that deserving performance."  
  
"Well thank you Ricky." She shook hands with him and tossed the keys of the new car to Stacy. "You can drive that to your mom's. We'll leave it there for tonight." Stacy nodded.  
  
The whole crew drove back to the parking lot and hung out till 3am. Then they went home. Kat was glad she didn't work till one. She never did pick up those other hours from Brian, but she figured that this café was the one that his friend Dom owned and she really didn't want to work for Dom anyway. She'd had a little too much to drink and so had all the guys but Stacy, who had to drive. One thing they wouldn't do was drive drunk, ever. She hadn't partied in a long time.  
  
She got up to the alarm the next day and all the guys were still asleep. She was the only one who had to work on Saturday. She threw on a tee shirt and a leather skirt. She put on the bare essential makeup and then her knee high boots. Ug her head hurt, she shoulda known better. But she always said that when she was hung over. It never stopped her next time. She grabbed a sweater and headed to the bus. She took the bus to the stop closest to mama's and then decided to take the spyder to work. She'd show Brian and Harry and ask them if they knew of anyone looking for a car like it. She'd have to sell it before she got attached to it. She didn't need two race cars and the skyline was the better car. But that didn't mean that she couldn't enjoy having the top down on a bright sunny day while she owned it.  
  
She walked into the store and grinned at the two guys. They grinned back at her. She was wearing a black skirt and a baby tee. Brian looked closer and saw her tee shirt said 'Co-ed naked racing, turn 'em on, ride 'em hard, leave 'em hot.'. He laughed at that, seemed so, well, Kat. "'Mornin' Guys. How ya doin'?"  
  
"Wow, someone's in a better mood now then when she left here last night." Harry was glad, this was the Kitten he had come to know.  
  
"Yeah, come see why." She said and motioned them over to the door. They walked over and looked into the front line of parking spots.  
  
"Where's your car?" Brian asked. "I know nothing happened to it. You're in too good of a mood."  
  
"No nothing happened to it. That's my car too now." She pointed at the Eclipse.  
  
"No shit? You won a car last night?" Harry was in shock.  
  
"Yeah. I had planned on entering this little 1 g race, but then I pulled up and it was just like old times. Edwin started callen' me kid again and I knew if I didn't give him a main event that everyone would just go around sayin' I was scared and washed up. I couldn't have that so I let him set up a 4 g race. Then this guy said he didn't have the money but he wanted in so he would put up the slip to his car. We raced, he almost had me but I won in the end. It was quite a race, he was the biggest challenge I ever had down there."  
  
"Oh yeah? What was his name, do you know?" Brian asked.  
  
"Ya, his name was Ricky Tran."  
  
"Great. Just super." Brian was visibly upset.  
  
"What's wrong with that?" Kat wanted to know.  
  
"Well there was some shit that went down with Dom and the team about a year ago and Johnny Tran tried to kill Jesse. I had to pursue him and he wouldn't give himself up, he and his cousin Lance led me on a high speed chase and I shot Johnny Tran dead because he wouldn't stop running. So our team and the remaining Trans have a feud. But you're not part of Dom's team so that shouldn't effect you." Brian finished with a sigh, one more reason Dom wouldn't want her around.  
  
"That does suck, but I'm not gonna marry the guy, I just took his car when he lost. And you're right anyway, I just work with you, our teams don't have anything in common." She nodded to show she considered the conversation closed. She was very stubborn about stuff like this, so once she had the situation pigeonholed that was that in her mind.  
  
"Well, this is gonna be a busy day so we should get back inside." Harry stated and then held the door open for them both to proceed him into the store.  
  
The day was busy and seemed to fly by. 6 came it seemed before she knew it. She went to head out and Brian stopped her.  
  
"Hey, Leon and Jesse wanted to know how you did. Why don't you drive me home so I don't have to take the truck home and show them how you did?"  
  
"I don't know Brian. I get this feeling that your buddy Dom would rather I didn't come around your place, and to tell you the truth the less I see of Dom the better as far as I'm concerned." She grimaced.  
  
"Well, you don't have to talk to Dom, just Leon and maybe Jesse. He wanted to know how the car worked for you too, and obviously it worked good." Brian couldn't explain why he wanted her to come by the store, other then he knew Leon was wanting to see more of her.  
  
Kat was wanting to see Leon too but she didn't want to get attached to a guy she couldn't have in her life. But she figured she owed it to both Leon for helping her get over her fear and Jesse for tuning her car to go show them what she won. Maybe Jesse would look it over for her and see if that NOS burn screwed anything up. She agreed to drive Brian to his friend's garage.  
  
It was another bright and sunny hot California day so they left the top down and drove to DT Performance Automotive. Brian felt like Dom must have all those times they went out together in the Supra with Brian driving. Kat was driving him nuts, doing stuff that he didn't think she should do, like cutting people off, driving double the posted limit in some cases, and doing trick driving stunts the whole way there. When they got there she pulled a brody into a parking spot. She was dead on and ended up in just the right spot but Brian nearly freaked.  
  
"I'm never asken' you for a drive again dude, you're nuts." Brian was kinda pale.  
  
"I'm not nuts. What're ya talken' about? I can show you nuts but that wasn't it." Kat laughed.  
  
"No thanks. That was nuts enough for me anyway. You drive crazy."  
  
"Sissy." She hissed through her teeth and then laughed at him. They started for the garage door engrossed in their conversation about where in the Hell Kat learned to drive like that.  
  
"What the hell was that?" A deep voice asked from the doorway. Dom had a fierce scowl on his face. "You trying to kill my sister's boyfriend or wreck my store?"  
  
"No, just trying to park my car." She gave Brian a look like he was a traitor for telling her Dom shouldn't be around but yet here he was. Brain shrugged. Dom caught the exchange and for some reason it pissed him off she didn't like him. What had he ever done?  
  
"Can't you parallel park like normal people? You coulda spun out into one of these other cars or right into the building."  
  
"Yeah, but I didn't. I know what I'm doing. 'Bout the only thing I do really well is drive, and I know what I'm doing."  
  
"There was no need of that stunt. You're a show off." Dom couldn't believe the girl would take crazy risks like that with someone else in her car and around other people's property.  
  
"Maybe I am. What's it to you? It's my car, my life, and I was in total control at all times. Get over it. What are you, jealous you can't move a car like that? King of the streets but he can only move his car fast in a strait line? I also drifted my Skyline around a corner at 130 with no traction control on it and won that car. And know what? If I'da been racing you that night I woulda taken your car too, cause I'm the whole package and you can drive too fast in a straight line." Kat hated Dominic Torreto for his arrogance of presuming to tell her how to drive her own car. She figured he wanted to strangle her for that remark. She wasn't far off. He was starting toward her with menace in his steps. Brian pulled her back when she would have gone toe to toe with him and Dom musta took the hint that he was looking murderous. He stopped and asked,  
  
"Whatever, is there some reason why you came down here?" Dom could run his car faster then anyone in a straight line, he never learned trick driving. So she was right. He wasn't really jealous, he just wished he could do that sort of thing all of a sudden and it pissed him off. It wasn't like he couldn't learn if he wanted to, he had just never seen the point. Kat was about to start talking game to Dom for his remarks when Brian broke in.  
  
"Dom, Dude, do you have manners? She drove me down because Harry needs his truck and I had no other way. I wanted her to show Jesse her new ride. Bro you need to chill out. Both of you." Brain was appalled at Dom's lack of manners. Dom just gave Brian one of those looks and walked back into the garage. "Never mind him Kat, he takes bad moods sometimes and he's not fit to be around."  
  
"Well Brian, I told you he didn't want me around and personally, the feelings mutual. I don't care for him much either. But I did want to show Jesse the new car so lets do that. Man, that guy thinks he's god's gift to both racin' and women doesn't he?" Brian nodded yes then realized what he just said about his friend. He shook his head no at his own stupidity and then they walked up to the garage while Kat laughed at Brian for confirming what she had already figured out about Dom.  
  
"So you like Jesse don't you?" Brian asked her on the way up the walk.  
  
"What's not to like? He's a good kid."  
  
"So you don't like him like him? Not if you think he's a kid."  
  
"No, not like that. I don't like anyone like that at this point in my life. I just have so much goin' on you know?" She looked a little too concerned that he buy that line of bull she'd just tossed him.  
  
"There's no one? Not even perhaps a certain owner of a yellow Skyline?"  
  
"BRRRIIIIIIAAAAANNNN." She drawled out. "Stop it. Why are you teasing me?" She was a very pretty shade of pink.  
  
"I think I do it cause it's fun to make you turn red. That and I think there's more then you're letting on to how you feel about this green eyed friend of mine."  
  
"Brian stop, please." She looked at him earnestly and Brian doubted for a minute if she was into Leon. But then he saw that she was an ever increasing shade of red.  
  
"Ok, but you'll have to do better then this to convince me you don't like him."  
  
"Like who?" She looked like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.  
  
"You know who." Brian turned to Jesse. "Look who I brought to say hello." Jesse turned around.  
  
"Kat! Good to see you. How'd your race go?" Jesse asked her. He was so exuberant. Like a puppy, all cute and into everything with about a 3 minute attention span for anything but his favorite thing, cars.  
  
"The car worked great Jesse." She answered, reading that he cared more about the car's performance then if she won or lost. "Wanna see what I won?"  
  
"You mean you won more then huge amounts of cash?" Jesse asked her. Leon heard the strange female voice and slid out from under the ford he'd been working on. They worked on all sorts of cars but Leon hated working on anything domestic. He realized it was Kat. That was why Dom had stormed back into the garage and slammed the office door. Leon wondered how her race had gone.  
  
Kat hadn't seen him under there and now he was walking up behind her. "So, Kat, how'd the race go?"  
  
Oh man, she loved his voice, he must be right behind her. She closed her eyes for a minute to compose herself then answered him. "Well I was just about to show Jesse how it went actually. You can come see too if you want."  
  
"You need to show us?" Leon thought that could either be a good thing or a bad thing. Either she wrecked her car again, or she won something she had to show them. She nodded yes to his question.  
  
"Let's go, the suspense is fucken' killen' me." Jesse said and headed for the door. He got out front of the building before any of them. "No shit." They heard him exclaim. Now Leon was even more curious. They rounded the corner of the garage.  
  
"He's not kidden'. No shit. You won a car." Leon couldn't believe that. He'd expected her to lose honestly. She'd panicked racing him but she somehow managed to win a car. That didn't quite add up.  
  
She must have been able to read that in his expression cause she answered him, "Yeah, I think I owe most of that to you. I have this feeling you let me win, but even so, that's what gave me the confidence to get out there. That and when the scene hit me again I was right back to it." "Naw Dawg, I didn't let you win. I planned on it but you caught me with that burst of speed and won all on your own. So how'd you win a car?"  
  
"Well, I was gonna enter this small time race to get back into the life, ya know? But then, soon as we roll up Edwin's all over us, wantin' to set me up in some sort of main event. So I ended up racing for a 4 g buy in. Some guy wanted in but he didn't have the cash so he put up his keys and I won. I had to disable the traction system in the Skyline mid race. It was wild. I almost crashed into a warehouse." She laughed, remembering that run. It had been wild.  
  
"Wow, that sounds like quite a rush." Jesse had listened to the story with rapt attention.  
  
"It was. Hey Jesse, wanna take this car for a spin? The last owner did some crazy thing with his NOS and I wanna know if you think it's runnin' ok. Seems ok to me but you know better then I do." She held out the keys with a smile and they were snatched from her hand as Jesse hopped in the car. "Do you wanna go with him?" She turned to Leon and asked.  
  
"Naw, I'll wait for him to get back here with you. It could be awhile. You just gave him keys to a convertible and told him it might need work. We may never see him again." Leon laughed and she joined him. "Say, Dom's café is just down the street, wanna go get a drink?"  
  
"Sure." What was she thinking? It was just a drink but still.  
  
"Well, let's take my car down since you gave yours away for the next oh, hour or so."  
  
"You think he'll be gone that long?" Leon nodded. "Well, sure thing, lets take your car."  
  
Leon told Dom and Brian what he was doing and they got into his car and headed to Torreto's.  
  
Kat felt like such a moron. Now she was going on dates with the guy? Even if it was just for a lousy soft drink at a café. God damn it she didn't even like him. Something in her mind told her to keep repeating that and it might come true someday. She was very attracted to him, sure, but that didn't mean she liked him, liked him right?  
  
Leon was having similar feelings about asking Kat out, even if it was just to run to the store for a drink. He knew he didn't like her as much as he was attracted to her physically. He wondered what she thought of his car.  
  
"So what do you think of my car? It's only a 94, but still, what do you think?"  
  
"It's cool. I really like the graphics you have on it. Doesn't sound like there's much stock left under the hood either. By the way it sounds you tore the whole car apart and not much under the hood is still Nissan."  
  
"You caught me, but yours is the same way."  
  
She laughed. "You got that right." They got into a very deep discussion about R32 and 33 skylines vs. the R34. They were talking in very animated tones. Leon loved the way Kat talked with her hands, her whole body really. She couldn't sit still while she talked about Skylines.  
  
They pulled up to the café and climbed out. They walked in the open storefront and sat down at the counter, still talking cars the whole way. Leon looked over and saw Vince sitting there talking to Mia. 'Just great.' He though, like he hadn't already taken enough ribbing about Kat, this wasn't gonna help.  
  
"Hey guys!" Mia exclaimed. She was always in a good mood, Kat thought. Mia had to be the most cheerful person ever.  
  
"Hey Mia." Leon said and smiled. It was hard to stay upset around Mia.  
  
"What can I get you?" Mia said with a smile. She was both glad to see Leon and Kat together and glad to have a buffer against Vince, who was bothering her again. He'd gotten a lot better since Brian had saved the team but he was still a pain. It was too bad the big idiot screwed up what he had with his girlfriend. For a while there he was so into her Mia had figured there would be little Vinces running around the place in no time. Then he had to go and cheat on her, and get caught no less, and the girl had up and left. She'd left Vince a couple times during their relationship but she'd always come back once she'd cooled down and he'd always told her he was sorry. But this time she'd left and never came back. And Vince wouldn't talk about it. He just wouldn't talk about it. They all imagined what had happened but Vince wouldn't confirm it or deny it. He wouldn't even go after her and find her. But it wasn't Mia's business. But she wished Vince would meet someone and leave her alone.  
  
"I'd like a Pepsi please." Kat asked, and Mia got it for her and Leon had the same, even though he wanted a Corona. He didn't want to drink in front of her while she had a Pepsi for some reason. "So, what brings you guys down here?" Vince asked with a smirk. He knew his friend liked the blonde chick, and this was like vindication for all the times they laughed at him for being hung up on Mia. For mooning over.he wasn't goin' there. Except that her being here meant she liked Leon too which dumped him right back into the only one pining after a girl who didn't like him back club.  
  
"Well, Kat won a car last night and she let Jesse take it for a drive, so I figured we had time to kill." Leon said with a grin.  
  
"No kidden'. You let him take someone else's car for a drive? What kinda car is it?"  
  
"An Eclipse Spyder." Kat answered.  
  
"You let him take someone else's convertible for a drive. We may never see him again." Vince stated.  
  
"That's exactly what Leon said. I'm beginning to get really worried." Kat giggled.  
  
"He'll be back, sometime." Mia said with a laugh, "Just not any time soon." Mia sat down at the counter with them. Mia read Kat's shirt out loud "Co-ed Naked Racing, turn 'em on, ride 'em hard, leave 'em hot." It took a second for the double meaning to set it then Mia blushed. "That's an interesting slogan."  
  
Vince had to come read it for himself, he didn't believe the girl would really have a shirt that said that on it. He came over and read the shirt and laughed. "That is quite the slogan. I wouldn't mind showing you how to act it out."  
  
"In your dreams cowboy." They all laughed, Kat figured he might be serious but Leon and Mia knew that Vince was still pretending to be into Mia, who was a stand in for his Ex, too much to be serious about other girls.  
  
"You're breaken' my heart." Vince played along.  
  
"It's too fragile then. It was too easy to break." Kat laughed and then took a big swig of Pepsi. "Plus, I'm a heart breaker by nature, so you're better off to find out now not later." She smiled.  
  
"So our Leon needs to watch his back and his heart around you then does he?" Mia asked coyly.  
  
"Naw, he's safe from me." Kat said, serious for a minute, "I'm not out to make the kind of friends that would put anyone's heart in danger, I'm just out to race my car and improve my life. So his heart's safe." She smiled at the group in general.  
  
They finished their drinks and headed out to the car. Leon was relieved to hear that she wasn't after his heart. He wasn't sure if he was ready to give it, least of all to this girl, with her cocky attitude and car that might, and he stressed might, even to himself, be better then his.  
  
He could never date a girl seriously if she could drive faster then he could. His manliness couldn't take it.  
  
"I hope your friends didn't creep you out. I'm not after you like they all seem to imply." She grinned impishly. "And if I was you wouldn't have a chance."  
  
Leon grinned back, he couldn't help it. "Naw, they didn't creep me out. Vince just wishes I would fall for you, but you wouldn't fall for me so that he wouldn't have to be the only one in love with a girl who's not in love with him."  
  
"He's in love with Brian's girl Mia?"  
  
"How'd ya guess?" Leon asked with a grimace. "She's been with Brian a long time now and they been through a lot, but Vince has been after her since she was 16, and they were all still in high school."  
  
"That sucks. And she was never into him? I mean, he's not ugly."  
  
"Is that a compliment? He's not ugly! I don't think that's very complimentary. Most guys aren't ugly. Besides Dom would never have let 'em hook up. Him and V have been best friends since third grade. Dom would never have allowed it to happen, but Mia was never into V like that."  
  
"Well, like I said, he's not ugly, would it be better if I said he's not hard on the eyes? I don't imagine he goes around saying I'm the next Miss America either. I don't see him winnin' any Mr. Universe contests but she could do worse you know?"  
  
"I get it, it was just the way you said that, he's not ugly, like he's not cute either, but he's not ugly. I know she could do worse, but she did just as good. Brian's a great guy. Vince had a girl for a while, they were in love, I think, we all liked her. She was with us during some hard times. But he cheated on her and that was the last we saw of her."  
  
"Aw, what an evil man. And he went back to being after Mia just like that? Even though he and this chick were so in love?"  
  
"Naw, he's not back after Mia, I guess he's just pretending so we all think he's over N.well that other girl. But Mia's familiar and he still misses the familiar ness of having this other girl in his life. That's all."  
  
"Well, I guess in a way I feel for poor old Vince then. Two girls he's loved and now he doesn't have either, and he has to see Mia in bliss with Brian every day."  
  
"It must suck. I prefer to keep my options open." Leon laughed.  
  
"Well when you were trying to figure how you knew me I speculated that you might have known someone like me at races before and Brian said you had," she cleared her throat, "known enough blonde girls that it might be possible you were mistaking me for one of 'em."  
  
"Oh he said that did he?" Leon asked with a growl, Brian was telling people he was easy?  
  
"Yeah, but he had no idea how it came out till I made fun of him for it then he was mortified." Kat laughed. "Why, is the opposite true? Do you have a hard time picking up?"  
  
Leon growled again, this time right at Kat for the slight on his record. How did he answer that, either he was a male slut or he couldn't get a date. He couldn't win. "I don't have trouble finding dates but I'm don't date every girl that looks my way."  
  
"You're so fun to tease. You should see how embarrassed you are." She laughed. Leon loved the way she laughed, when she really laughed it was like sun, and it lit up the whole area. She just laughed, no thought, rhyme or reason. She felt the need and did it with her whole heart and soul. It was hard to remember why he should be annoyed with both she and Brian.  
  
"Well, you're mean. And I still know I know you from somewhere. I'm gonna figure it out."  
  
"No you're not because there's nothing to figure." She frowned at him, suddenly serious. "Ok, ok, just stop frowning. You're beautiful when you smile." Leon watched the road with too much concentration. Kat blushed.  
  
"Oh stop." She giggled. She didn't get many compliments from people who were thinking of her as a girl. It was always, way to move Kat, you're an awesome racer Kat, Kat can drive like the wind, Kat can paint a car better then anyone. It was never Kat's pretty, or Kat's a female for that matter. She was like one of the guys. She guessed that was hard to help when you drove a race car and talked trash just like the guys, always had grease under your nails no matter what you did and couldn't care less about your looks three quarters of the time. "False flattery will get you no where with me. I've heard it all."  
  
"It's not false." Leon was giving her a very serious look. She wanted to change the subject. She sat back in her seat.  
  
"Why does your friend Dom have such a hate on for me?" She asked. She was curious.  
  
"Whoa, where did that come from?" Leon didn't know where the abrupt topic change had come from. He figured his complimenting her on her looks made her uncomfortable. Could she really have no idea guys found her pretty? She wasn't self conscious, she was confident as hell, but maybe she'd never been made to see she could be a tough racer chick and a pretty feminine girl at the same time. It's too bad her and Letty couldn't be friends. Letty had how to be in the best of both worlds nailed down. She continued,  
  
"Well he does, and since you gave me so much incite into Vince, I thought you might let me in on what makes Dom dislike someone he doesn't know."  
  
Leon figured she had a right to know, but he didn't know if he had a right to tell her. What the hell, she could know the abridged version. "He wants to lie low because of the shit we went through and he sees your past as a possibility of getting thrown back into the center of attention if it becomes know that we associate with you. And he thinks you're too cocky for your own good."  
  
"Translation into normal speak, he's scared of the guys, and he's scared I race better'n he does." Kat said with a frown. Typical.  
  
"Kat, he's not scared you race better'n he does, or scared of your friends. He just doesn't see you and your team as people that like to lay low. And all we do is work and race now. So he doesn't want trouble." Leon didn't want her to end up with an even worse opinion of Dom then she already had for some reason.  
  
"Well, he'll find out how I race soon, cause I'm not spending too much time racing in South Central, my buddy Edwin is gonna take us to this place he calls 'the warehouse' in a couple weeks and I'm racin' there. I assume that's where ya'll race?"  
  
"Ya, how do you know Edwin?"  
  
"He runs the show in the hood."  
  
"Really? Edwin? But he can't even win a race at the warehouse." Leon laughed at the thought of Edwin running races anywhere.  
  
"Well, he can't win in the hood either, but he still holds the money and calls the starts. At least we don't worry about cops in the 'hood." She looked at all his scanning equipment.  
  
"We worry about cops at races and the way I drive every day I worry about them on the road too." They shared a smile, she worried about cops on the city streets the way she drove too.  
  
They arrived back at the garage and Jesse still wasn't back yet.  
  
"Well Leon, thanks for the drink and the conversation. I had a nice time." She smiled at him and went to sit on the curb out front.  
  
"Come in and wait out of the sun. You can hand me tools while I work on this stupid ford if you want. I wanna get it done."  
  
"You haveta work on domestic cars?"  
  
"Don't remind me." Leon grimaced. She stood up.  
  
"Ok, but I'm no good with Domestic cars unless they're corvettes." She followed him into the dimness of the garage and over to the ford focus he was working on. "So what are you doing to the little beast?"  
  
"You fucken' name it and I have to do it. Headers, manifold, exhaust, air intake, the kid wants it tricked out." Leon sat on the creeper. "He shoulda bought a fucken civic before this but hey, who am I to tell the kid how to spend his money."  
  
"People need to stop trying to pollute the import scene with posser domestics." She handed him the wrench he asked for.  
  
"True that!" Leon agreed vehemently. People were polluting the import scene with domestic cars. They had no place. No matter how many ricey accessories you put on a cavalier it was still domestic. People had to learn that. Most people just took a live and let live attitude to it though. Like it didn't matter cause the real imports still kicked ass.  
  
They talked about cars while Leon worked on the focus. Dom frowned at them from the Integra he was working on with Brian and snapped at Brian over every little thing. Dom was sure Leon was falling for Kat and it was all Brian's fault. Jesse returned exactly an hour later.  
  
"Hey Kat, sorry to take so long but I, uh, wanted to make sure I did a thoughal check." Jesse smiled his big, open, little boy smile and Kat just grinned at him. She couldn't help it with Jesse. She'd met him three times or less and she trusted him almost implicitly already. She couldn't help herself. She just sensed Jesse was just what he appeared. He was a good kid. She knew he must be 20 or so but she felt so much older then him. She fleetingly wished she could fall for a happy easygoing guy like Jesse, but she knew she was not the girl for Jesse. He needed a sweet little girl, not a bitch like her.  
  
"They all told me you'd be gone an hour and you were gone one hour to the minute. So what's the damage?"  
  
"Nothin. Works great." Jesse said. It really was fine. "What did you say the guy did to it?"  
  
"He was in 5th and way past the redline, I was in 6th and only at 6000rpm. He wanted to catch me so he held down both his NOS buttons and let what was left in the tanks just continually dump into the engine. I never heard of doin' that before. It can't be good for the car."  
  
"Well, no it's not good for the car, but it didn't hurt this one. People do that sometimes, you should try it, it's quite a rush." Jesse reassured her. She nodded, but the Skyline was enough of a rush on it's natural own.  
  
"Well, Miss perfect racer girl didn't know something. Who hasn't heard of doing that with NOS." Dom interjected. He didn't like the easy way she had with Jesse any more then he liked the thoughts of her getting with Leon. He started her way.  
  
"Well, Mr. I'm the king of LA, I know everything, there may be some things I don't know. I don't need to 'cause my car can chew up any other tuner car in LA and spit it out. And that includes that fucken rotary engine pussy car, piece of crap you drive." She advanced on Dom.  
  
"Dream on. I'm gonna enjoy showing you a thing or two on the streets some day." Dom growled. The two were almost nose to nose by now. The tension around them was thick.  
  
"You dream on. I'ma wipe the road with ya and if the course has any corners you'll be crying for your mama. I drive so much better'n you I'm gonna enjoy mopping the street with your sorry, washed up, has been ass." Kat shrieked at him. Dom looked like he was going to haul off and hit her, he really did. Leon had gotten up when the voices got raised and now he grabbed Kat around the waist just as she lunged for Dom. Brian pulled Dom back over to the car he had been working on and Leon took Kat outside forcefully by the waist. She spit and clawed at him the whole way, struggling like a wild cat to get away. 


	13. Racin' the best by proxie

"Damn it Kat, what're you thinking?" Leon was looking over his shoulder to make sure that Dom wasn't following them out of the garage to keep it going. Kat was still trying to get back into the garage herself. Leon couldn't believe how beautiful she was while she was this impassioned. She was strong for her size to, Leon was having some trouble keeping an arm around her.  
  
"You heard what he said, he had it comin'." She shouted as Leon dragged her farther away from the garage door.  
  
"You woulda been in pieces if you tried to fight him Kat. Jesus, look at him. He makes three of you."  
  
"Yeah, if he fought me he woulda kicked the shit outa me eventually, but he'd still feel it tomorrow." Kat was still half shouting the insults toward the garage door as if she wanted Dom to hear her and come out to finish what they'd started.  
  
"You really are cocky. He'd never fight you anyway, but he might backhand you or shove you to get you out of his face and not know how hard he did it in the heat of the moment." Leon shook his head. God she was hot while she was riled up. She was flushed and her breath was coming in pants. Her green eyes flashed fire like glacier ice. Her eyes were hot with passion but cold with intent all at the same time. He was still holding her back out of going back into the garage to finish what she started and she was fighting him off just like her namesake feline. Then she changed.  
  
"Damn I'm sorry Leon. I didn't wanna start shit but he had to start in at me. I wasn't doin' anything and he started. But it's his place and I gotta work with Brian. Harry'll kill me if I piss Dom off too much." Kat didn't have any more incite into why Dom didn't like her and why she didn't like Dom then she did at the start of the day.  
  
Leon watched the fight drain out of her as quick as it entered. She looked small and fragile all of a sudden where as a second before she looked larger then life and like she probably could've taken Dom on and held her own for a minute or two. She looked sad.  
  
"I do shit like that sometimes, take shit too seriously. I don't know when to let stuff slide. This obviously would've been a good time to just let it go." She was scared of what could've happened in truth, but she wasn't gonna tell Leon that.  
  
Leon could read the fear in her eyes. She was scared of Dom. Leon didn't know if it was because of what would have happened if they fought or if it was for some other reason, but he didn't like to see Kat scared. It didn't suit her. He didn't know if he should let her go, now that she wasn't gonna run off and do something stupid, or haul her closer and try to make it all better. "You don't need to be scared."  
  
"I'm not scared." She stated. Leon saw right through the act. He bet it worked great on most people. People who didn't look too deep into her eyes.  
  
"Well, do you think you're ok to drive home, or do you want me to take you? Your car'd be fine here overnight."  
  
Dom looked out the window to where Kat and Leon were standing. He could read the fear in her expression and he was ashamed of his part in putting it there. Damn, if he coulda just kept his mouth shut about the NOS none of this woulda happened. But if she was scared of him and angry for at him for making her scared she's stay away right? Not likely by the way Leon still had his arms around her waist, his chin on her shoulder while he talked into her ear.  
  
Kat glanced around and thought about that offer. She had no doubt she could drive home. Wither she could drive home safely was another matter. But she didn't want Dom to be mad at Leon, he had to live and work with the guy after all. Kat just saw him every once in awhile. She was calming down more every minute that she was away from Dom. She couldn't put her finger on what it was about him that pissed her off.  
  
Leon watched the emotions play across her face and he could tell she was feeling better every second. He knew the reason Dom said he didn't want her around, but was that the real reason? Leon didn't think so. Why would that get him so hot and bothered about Kat's attitude? He looked at the shop window and saw Dom watching them.  
  
"I think I'll be fine Leon. And I should probably go now. While he's in there and I'm out here and neither of us have to talk again today." She gave him a weak smile.  
  
Letty wondered what Dom was so interested in out front. She'd just come into the shop via the back door to find Dom staring at something out front through the window. She walked to a point where she could see what he was looking at. It was that damn blonde girl, what's her name again. Kat, that was it. And Dom was staring at her while she talked to Leon.  
  
"Dom, I thought you didn't have any interest in that girl." Letty spat out.  
  
"I don't." Dom replied without looking away.  
  
"Oh really? Then what the hell are you staring at?"  
  
"Leon talking to the girl. I just almost hit her Let." Dom looked at Letty. "She said something about not knowing why someone would hold their NOS open, or that she never heard of it, and I said something like 'imagine there is something that miss perfect doesn't know' and she went toe to toe with me and started insulting me back. Leon hauled her out of here and if he didn't we woulda gotten in a fight. I don't have any interest in her, but I don't like her."  
  
"Whatever you say Dom." He could tell she was being sarcastic.  
  
"Damn Letty, ask Brian, I almost fought her. Besides that I think Leon likes her and she seems to like him back." Dom looked sincere.  
  
"He really did almost fight her Letty. I was scared we'd be pullen 'em apart on the floor." Brian looked shaken.  
  
Leon looked down at Kat, and while he wasn't tall like Dom and Vince, he did have to look down at this girl, she couldn't be much more then 5'4" in the flip flops she was wearing now and tried to judge if she really was ok to drive herself anywhere. She had some color back in her cheeks.  
  
"You sure I can't take you home. If you want me to I will, I don't mind." And he really didn't, even though he was hotter then hell in this sun and his car didn't have A/C to save on the weight.  
  
"Naw, I'll drive myself home. I'll be fine. I didn't actually fight him, I just almost did." She laughed. "And you probably never thought you'd meet a person as stupid as me." She said and looked away.  
  
Leon could tell the laugh was to try and take some of the sting out of her self insult. He put a finger under her chin and turned her face to look him in the eye. "You're not stupid. But you act on impulse too much. You don't want to push Dom too far. I think maybe passionate is a better word for what you are."  
  
She gave him one of those big genuine smiles he had already come to know. "Thanks." She said softly and simply.  
  
"Don't mention it. Now head for home before he comes out here to 'apologize' and you all have another fight."  
  
"Men like him don't apologize, but it is time to go. See you around?" She said as more of a question then a statement.  
  
"Sure, I'll see ya. And Dom apologizes but not often. Say, you comen' to races at the warehouse tonight?"  
  
"I never thought of it, I might. Doubt I'll race there yet, but I might come hang out."  
  
"Well, if you do, I'll see you then."  
  
"Well, maybe I'll have to come out now, just to see you in your natural habitat."  
  
"This is my natural habitat, I work on cars, I race cars, and I hang out. I'm a simple guy."  
  
"Well, I'm a simple girl." She tried to look serious.  
  
Leon burst out laughing. "You are many things Kat, but simple ain't one of 'em."  
  
She cocked her head to the side. "Is that a compliment or an insult?"  
  
"I'd never do anything but compliment you Kat. I don't insult ladies."  
  
"But I'm not a lady. I never was. I wasn't raised that way." She was serious this time.  
  
"Maybe not, but you're not a guy so that makes you a lady." Leon pointed at her car. "Go home Kitten, before we decide to keep you." He chuckled.  
  
"Yeah, like big daddy Dom'd let you." Leon gave her a very dirty look. "Ok, ok. I'm goin'. See ya tonight?"  
  
"I'll be there for sure."  
  
She got in her car and drove home. She took it right to the house. It was still broad daylight and she figured they'd go out for supper then go to races. She'd let Kale and Stacy take the Eclipse to races and her and Sean could take the Skyline. She ran up the steps to their place and burst through the door.  
  
"Hey guys!"  
  
"Hey girl, where ya been?" Kale asked her.  
  
"Work, then hangin' out with Brian for awhile. You guys wanna go get some supper then check out races at the warehouse?"  
  
"Hell Yeah." The three guys answered at the same time. Something wasn't right with Kat, but they knew if they pressed her about it she'd just clam up and they wouldn't get to talk to her about anything. She'd only talk when she was ready, you couldn't pressure her.  
  
They all squeezed in the Eclipse and went to dinner at this restaurant the guys knew of called Cha Cha Cha. It was great food. Then they went and picked up the skyline and decided to see a movie. No one showed up to race till 12 and it was only 8 now. When the movie was over they headed to the warehouse and got parking spots. Kat took one look at how the girls were dressed and knew she didn't fit in. She was dressed too conservatively. She took her shirt off, thanking god she had a camisole under it that could pass for a tank top and she figured there was no help for the fact she was just wearing plain black pants. She took her hair down and finger combed it out. Then she climbed out of the car and met the guys in front of the cars.  
  
"You racen' tonight Kitten?" Stacy asked her.  
  
"Naw, doubt it. Not unless I get an offer I can't refuse."  
  
"Such as?" Kale asked her.  
  
"I won't know unless it happens guys. The idea is to come down and see how this scene works, and to hang out and start some speculation on who we are. I don't know if I'm ready to race here yet. Besides, I don't wanna race Torreto yet." She hadn't told them about the close call with fighting Dom she'd had this afternoon and she didn't intent to. "Do I look ok?"  
  
"You looked fine with more clothes on if you ask me anything." Sean said. Kat punched him in the shoulder and grinned.  
  
"You can only see a bit of my tummy. Every other girl is wearing hot pants and her bra as an outfit." Kat laughed. Stacy and Kale were enjoying that fact.  
  
"But you're our girl, not some skank." Sean frowned at her.  
  
"And my outfit isn't going to make me any less your girl, bro. I'll never be a skank. Let's go mingle." Kat wanted to see if Leon was around, but she didn't want the guys to know that.  
  
"I'm there." Stacy said, still eyeing the scantily clad women.  
  
"Let's go." Kale added his two cents. There was so much eye candy here it wasn't even funny.  
  
They wandered off. The sites and sounds were even more overwhelming then back home to Kat. There were easily triple the cars and the varieties of music blaring from the cars were as varied as the ethnic backgrounds of the racers. The cars here easily outclassed over half the cars from her 'hood too. They walked around quietly commenting on the different cars and what they thought looked good. Stacy and Kale not so quietly commented on the women they thought looked good. Kat spotted Edwin and walked over to him and his clique.  
  
"Hey Edwin. What's up man?"  
  
"Kid! What're you doin' down here?"  
  
"Well when someone told me it was on tonight I decided to come check it out. This is a different scene all together. But I like it."  
  
"Who told you about races?" Edwin knew it hadn't been him. He wasn't ready to have Kat here yet. He had wanted to try to get her to race for him. Edwin guessed someone had gotten to her first.  
  
"Just someone." Kat grinned like a cat in the cream.  
  
"Gonna be like that huh?"  
  
"You know it." They did there little closed fists handshake. "You racin' tonight Bro?"  
  
"Sure, if Torreto is." Edwin said with a smirk.  
  
"You still chasin' that rainbow bro? Think you'll beat him someday?" Kat grinned.  
  
"Sure, I will. Someday. If you don't beat me to it."  
  
"Now you're talkin' Edwin. So is he here yet?"  
  
"No, I thought you weren't racin' tonight?"  
  
"I'm not. I just wanna watch him race. He always show up late?" Kat frowned, thinking it would be just like someone like Dom to make others wait on him.  
  
"Pretty much, they like to make their big entrance." The unique sound of a double clutched rotary engine could then be heard along with the particular beat of Pov City Anthem, Dom's signature song to play on the way to races. "Hear they come, we're on." Edwin rubbed his hands together. He headed for the red car. Kat ducked her head and headed back over to her guys. She didn't want Dom to see her. She hopped that Leon would seek her out because she wouldn't go looking for him if he was hanging out with his team.  
  
She saw her guys were talking to a guy she didn't know. He was Latin and bald. She put an arm around Kale and smiled at him. He put an arm on her shoulders and smiled down at her.  
  
"Kat, this is Hector. Hector, my girl, Kat." Kat held a hand out to Hector.  
  
"Nice to meet you."  
  
"Same to you Kat. So, you race?"  
  
"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing." They laughed. "Yeah, I do, but never around here before. I'm not racin' tonight. You?"  
  
"I'm trying to go legit so I don't race here anymore. I wanna get up on the NIRA circuit. You know about that?"  
  
"Of course. Whatoya drive?" Kat looked around any only saw a sickly colored Honda Civic hatchback. Hector pointed at it.  
  
"That's my baby. Fastest car around here."  
  
"Oh yeah? Then why aren't you racing the big Dawg tonight?"  
  
"Cause I don't wanna get locked and get that as a black mark against me while I try to make it onto NIRA."  
  
"I see." Kat nodded.  
  
"What about you? Why aren't you racin'?"  
  
"I'm just here to take in the sights."  
  
"What, don't think your car can take on Torreto? Or is it that you don't think you can take him on and win."  
  
"Homie please. I drive a Skyline, '99, GT-R, V-Spec. Nothin' here, including" she put a sarcastic lilt on the name, "Dominic Torreto can touch my ride. It's the fastest thing this crowd'll ever see. And when it comes to drivers you are looking at the real thing. I'm the real deal. If I can't make a car do it, it can't be done."  
  
"Whoa, you have a skyline huh?" She nodded to the affirmative. "Well kid, I still think Dom can take you."  
  
"Someday you'll get a chance to bet on that, but it won't be tonight. I'm not here to race. I just wanna be a bystander tonight." She said with a smile. "I can't get away with that back home so it's a nice break." It was hot out even for California, Kat thought and she gathered her hair off her neck for a second to let the cool breeze blow across her neck and back. She was totally oblivious to the looks she was getting from the males present, 'cept for her guys of course.  
  
No one saw Dom in the shadows off to the side, listening to the whole exchange. He was steamed that she was talking shit about being able to beat him, then saying she wasn't gonna race. He didn't want to get in a fight with her again so he didn't say anything, but he wanted to. He'd never talk trash then say he had no intention of backing it up. Plus there was only one of him and three of her big friends. He wondered what she meant by she couldn't be a bystander back home. Well, he knew what she meant. Every time you showed up at races 10 punks wanted a chance at you.  
  
But being the queen of her little homeboy races wouldn't get her far here, in the big leagues. He had an idea and he slipped off to put it in motion. He thought he could declaw this Kat. Plus he found her attractive and the fact made him angry. He hadn't messed around on Letty since before the last heist and he never planned on doin' that to her again. She still didn't trust him. He didn't want to mess his life up again. It was just a physical thing, he figured other guys had it happen to them. They just didn't act on it the way he had been. But he wasn't acting on this. Especially since Leon seemed to like her.  
  
Someone walked up to Dom and asked him how they were doing the races tonight. Dom told him,  
  
"Tonight for a change we're gonna let the ladies race. If we can get four ladies that wanna go that is. Letty, you want in girl?"  
  
"Oh hell yeah." It had been awhile since Letty got to race and she was ready. She stood up off her bumper and walked over to Dom.  
  
"Ok, 1 g buy in, ladies only for the first race." See if Kat could turn down Edwin when she got a chance to race girls. Dom'd bet money Kat figured girls couldn't race well, cause she fancied herself as one of the guys. Dom motioned Edwin over.  
  
"Yo Dawg, how we doin' this?" Edwin asked. Dom reiterated the Ladies race and then said he was having trouble finding three girls who wanted to race Letty. Edwin smirked, Dom knew he'd fallen for the bait. Kat racing Letty wasn't as good as Kat racing him, but he'd bet Letty'd hand Kat's ass to her anyway. After all Dom had taught Letty everything she knew.  
  
"I got a friend here tonight that might want in on this. I'll go talk to her." Dom nodded and Edwin walked away. He walked over to where Kat was still talking to Hector and her guys. "Yo Kat, first race of the evening is a ladies special. You gotta get in on it."  
  
"I don't know Edwin. I didn't want to race. I wanted to build some mystery about my team first."  
  
"Well, nothing better for that then taking on some competition and winning on your first night out. I mean come on girl, a ladies race? The only lady around here that'll come close to you is Letty. And I think you can take her in the end. He needs to find three others to race, if you get in it's only two."  
  
Kat looked at Sean. He thought about it for a second. "How much?" He asked.  
  
"1 g. Not even a big risk." Edwin wanted Kat in. She was his find in a way. He'd built her up in the 'hood when no one wanted to race a no name white girl, got her races and got her on her way. He wanted to break her into the big time too.  
  
"Well, I'd say go for it Kitten. No big deal. You might even want to consider entering and throwing it so people underestimate you the next time you come here to race for real." Sean couldn't see why she shouldn't race.  
  
"Sean, what are the odds of me losing on purpose? I rush to get everything done before other people, even if it isn't a race." She put her hand on her hip.  
  
"Point taken Kitten. Race, win. It's all good. They'll all wonder who the new mystery chick is who beat the best women they have to offer." Kale wanted to see his Kitten kick some ass.  
  
"Kay, I'm in. Who do we pay?" Kat decided in a snap when she had Sean's approval.  
  
"I'll take care of it. Just give me your money." They trusted Edwin so Stacy handed over the thousand dollars. Kat snuck up through the crowd to watch who held the money down here. Dom and Hector and some other guys and girls were standing in a group off to the side by their cars. "Well Dom, my girl's in. Here's her money." Edwin handed the money to Dom. "Did you get 4 girls?" Dom nodded yes.  
  
"Hector can hold the money." Dom said. And again, just like every other week someone asked "Why Hector?" And like every week Edwin said,  
  
"Cause he's too damn slow to make off with the money, Man." Kat snickered behind her hand. She'd sized Hector up just that way herself, driven' a slow ass Civic. That was a kid's toy, not a true tuner car. He wasn't even in her league. But would she ever make NIRA? Not bloody likely, they never took girls. It wasn't fair. But that was her lot in life. She'd always be trying to make people see that she was just as good as any guy. She slipped back to her friends, who were standing by her car.  
  
"Well, it's on. He got 4. Any minute now Edwin'll be back telling me where to line up." Edwin rejoined their group. "I gather the races around here are straight line?" She asked him. He nodded yes.  
  
"Time to go line up girl." Edwin named the street.  
  
Kat, Sean, Kale and Stacy all put their hands together. "Do or Die." They said in unison. Kat got in the skyline and headed for the street in question. The guys took the Eclipse down to the finish line. Kat stopped on the line. Edwin walked up to her car.  
  
"You feelin' it girl? You ready?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm ready." She could already taste the coppery adrenaline in her mouth, like sucking on pennies and honey. She revved the engine and looked to her right. She saw a black Eclipse, about 96 she figured. She looked back at Edwin. "Well Edwin. Fill me in. Who're these people, and who do I need to watch out for?"  
  
"Well the black Eclipse isn't half the car this bad boy is, so needless to say as you proved down home last time, Eclipses aren't in your league."  
  
"Don't go there Edwin, you know the older Eclipses blow the newer ones out of the water."  
  
"Yeah, ok, but the chick driving that one doesn't blow anyone out of the water. You can take her. The car right behind me, the MX-6, the car might keep pace with you for the first while at least, but the girl is just out for a thrill, it's her man's car, he normally drives it and he put in all the wrench time." Kat nodded. "And the maroon 240sx, the American cousin of your car, with Letty Rodriguez driving is gonna make you work for the win. Hard. Letty is as tough as nails and fast as all get out. She's Dom's girl and he taught her all she knows. She's been with him since she started to drive. She helped him build that car, it's hers and she puts in most of her own wrench time. In other words, she's you, but Latin and this is home turf for her. Well, Dom doesn't let her race much, but this is still what she's use to."  
  
"OK, so Letty is the only one I really need to watch." Edwin nodded. "Ok. I got this Edwin."  
  
"I know you do. See ya at the finish." Edwin walked to his car and drove to the finish line.  
  
Kat revved her engine and turned on her NOS and checked over all the monitoring software. Everything was within specs and ready to roll. She revved again and spit flames out her tailpipe. The crowd went nuts. They were just waiting for an all clear from Leon on the scanners. Kat was not use to this part. Normally they let tension build for a few minutes then raced. Here they had to do their best to be sure the cops were busy. She could see Hector talking to someone on his two way. All this waiting was nerve racking. She rolled her head around her shoulders to loosen up and then threw the car into first and got ready to go.  
  
Leon was very curious as to how this race would play out. Letty was damn good. But Kat was driving a skyline. And since she had just won a car, she must be good too. He wished he'd gotten a chance to talk to Kat before this all went down. He heard that there was a robbery and hostage situation in a far off part of town. He gave Hector the all clear.  
  
"We're good to roll? Ok. Let's Race!" Hector waved his arms to get their attention then with a snap dropped them to start them off. There was a great screech as the 4 high powered machines all took off. The four girls took off pretty well in unison. Letty snapped out to an early lead, the chick in the black Eclipse was sitting second, Kat was third, and the MX-6 was in last place. 


	14. With Catlike Grace

Chapter 14 - With Catlike Grace  
  
AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I'm glad you all seem to be enjoying my story. I wanted to take a second to address Jiffy's question. Well, it does have one. I don't know how to go into it without giving away the whole story to come. Well, the story is about my character and her team, so if you're waiting for the focus to shift to team Toretto you'll be disappointed. The team is in it, mainly because as many have guessed Kat and Leon are into each other. There's lots of drama, racing, and even a surprise action plot to come down the road. I have to set my team up here. Kat's been racing to make it to the level she's at for 4 years but I didn't want to go into it because there wouldn't be any of the team in it and it'd be boring. It's mainly about her struggle to make it in a male dominated world and overcome all the other adversity that she'd had thrown at her. I don't know if that helps or not, but I will tell you all that anyone who thinks that Kat is gonna sail through this story is wrong. There's lots of evil stuff comin' her way. Enjoy.  
  
Kat shifted up to second and gained on the Eclipse. She was slowly overtaking her. She passed the Eclipse a second later.  
  
The girl in the Mazda was just playing at being a racer, she never really had a chance to begin with. She fell further and further away. The Eclipse was keeping up, but not gaining any ground on the two Nissans. Kat knew she was sitting in Letty's blind spot right now, which should keep the other girl guessing for a few seconds while she waited to redline 5th and use her first shot of NOS.  
  
It worked out like she planned and she heard the chime from the system telling her it was time for the NOS. She pressed the red button on her Sparco steering wheel and the sudden burst of horsepower squealed the tires and forced Kat back in the seat with a snap. She was flying and Letty's car was just a streak of light as she flew by it. Letty had to wait another second and then her car was also ready for NOS. She caught Kat when she used it.  
  
Kat could see the finish. No way was she losing to this chick. She couldn't give Dom the satisfaction. She knew now he had planned this, hoping to live vicariously through his girlfriend. He wanted his shot to beat Kat, he figured that Letty could beat her, he knew Kat didn't want to race, but knew she wouldn't be able to say no to a chance to race girls. Kat pushed the accelerator harder and the car shot forward with a growl.  
  
Letty wasn't losing to this girl. If Dominic was the king of street racing Letty was the queen. She was gonna win. She'd never been able to beat Leon, but this girl couldn't be as good as Leon. Could she? She shifted up to 5th and waited to use her second shot of NOS. Kat hit 6th and waited to use her NOS. She knew that Letty was gonna get to use hers first. But she figured that the lead she already had plus the force and speed she'd get when she used hers would be enough to keep her out ahead. She heard the squeal as Letty started to gain on her after using her NOS.  
  
Kat waited a second longer till Letty was in her blind spot and hit her NOS at just the right second. She could see the silver grey Eclipse the guys were waiting for her in ahead and knew the finish was right there. She shot ahead, the sound her car made at these speeds with it's straight pipe exhaust was deafening.  
  
The line was right there. Letty had her car open full throttle, the thing was just screaming and Kat was still half a car ahead of her. Letty decided to do what the last guy to race Kat had done, hold down but NOS buttons to empty the tanks and hope for the best. She took a deep breath and went for it.  
  
Kat knew Letty wouldn't just give up and anticipated what she would do. She dropped it down to 5th, boosted her revs way up and shot over the finish line ahead of Letty by a car length. People standing at the finish would have been hard pressed to describe her car, it went by so fast it was just a blur of purple neon and red brake lights. It took her another almost ¼ mile to get it slowed down, then she drove back to the finish line. She got out of her car and was engulfed by first her guys then the crowd in general.  
  
Hector handed her the money. "Here you go girl. You gave us one hell of a woman's race for sure."  
  
"Thanks Hector." She looked around and saw Letty wasn't happy at all. She was glad that she wasn't going home with Letty. The girl was irate. Oh well, you won some and you lost some. It was team Torreto's time to lose some. Kat smiled and realized they were three thousand richer.  
  
She was gonna get up early on Monday and go house hunting. They finally had the down payment money they needed to find a place. She was talking to Edwin and Hector and their girls. Her guys had all taken off to talk to people, she'd told Stacy and Kale not to worry about her, to just take the Eclipse and have a good time. They'd been ecstatic about that. They had a hot car and there were more chicks around then they'd ever seen in one place before. She'd figured Sean would stick around her like he always did but he must have seen someone he wanted to speak to because he was no where to be seen.  
  
Someone walked up behind Kat and covered her eyes. She heard Hector say "guess who?" Presumably at the request of who ever was behind her. She didn't know who it could be. She didn't know anyone who wasn't in front of her already down here. But Leon! She thought. But she wasn't gonna just guess that right away. It made it too obvious she was hoping for it to be Leon.  
  
"Um, well, let me see. Could be Ricky?" She said with a smile.  
  
"Nope." Hector said.  
  
"Well, I guess I need more info to figure this out." She reached her arms back and ran them up the guys sides. She noted the quick in draw of breath. The guy was well muscled but not huge. Nice abs. "Well, that helped some. Lets see." She reached back over her head and ran her fingers through the 'mystery' guy's hair. "Well, I would have to guess, Steve." She didn't even know a Steve. The guy's hair was sort of long and messy before she ever even touched it. The 'mystery' guy growled low in his throat. She almost didn't hear him. But now she could guess safely. "Oh, it's Leon. I'd know that growl anywhere."  
  
Leon laughed and let her go. She spun around to face him. "What's the big deal of sneaking up on me like that? You could be spittin' out an important part of your anatomy right now."  
  
"Naw, I was standing sideways at first, I anticipated that." Leon laughed. "How ya doin'?"  
  
"How do ya think? I'm great. Other then the guys seem to have taken off on me and left me in the dubious company of these two." She smiled and pointed at Hector and Edwin.  
  
"Well, how would you like to come to a party at our place? We always have one after races." Leon asked her hopefully. She smiled at the other guys, took Leon's arm and slowly walked him away from the crowd.  
  
"Leon, much as I would love to party with you, me and your roommate almost killed each other today and I just creamed his girlfriend and took a g of his money. Do you think he'd be pleased to see me in his house?" She asked with a frown.  
  
"No. You're right. It wouldn't be smart. But I wanted you to party with us." Leon really had wanted her to come over, he hadn't thought of the fact that she and Dom would likely fight.  
  
"I'll take a rain check to some time when Dom and I can be in the same room without screaming at each other and needing to be physically restrained and Letty isn't ready to claw my face off." She giggled. "When I get a drink in me it gets worse not better."  
  
"Well it's the same for Dom so you're right, you'd better not come any time soon."  
  
"Won't he be mad at you for hangen' out with me?" Kat didn't want to be the reason why Leon had trouble at home.  
  
"Maybe, but I can handle him. Don't worry about me." Leon wasn't so sure. He hadn't been around as long as the others, 'cept Jesse. But he knew Dom would never send Jess away. Leon wasn't so sure about himself. But he figured after all they'd been through Dom wouldn't get that mad over a girl. But one could never tell with Dom. "Ok, I won't then." She looked at him like she would anyway, but she'd allow him the dignity of not telling him about it or letting him know.  
  
Dom was looking for Leon. They were heading out. He found him off to one side talking to none other then Kat. Jesus, couldn't Leon take a hint? They didn't need that girl around. She was smiling up at Leon and had a hand on his arm. He now had to walk up to them to tell Leon it was time to go. He didn't want to even look at the girl, now he'd have to say hello or he'd look like the ass. As he started over to them Leon tucked a piece of hair off Kat's face and behind her ear. Oh damn, Leon was after the girl, even if he didn't want to date her. And he was about to kiss her, right here at races in front of everyone.  
  
Leon didn't know what possessed him to touch her like that, to move her hair off her face, in preparation to lean down and kiss her, truth be told. He felt that she would let him do it too. She kinda had her lips parted a bit. While he watched she licked her upper lip. It was a totally unconscious thing, and that made it even hotter to Leon. She wasn't trying to entice him, she was just really into him physically too. As he was about to lean in he heard his name.  
  
"Leon. Yo, Leon. We're goin' home Man." Dom broke in. Leon groaned and Kat looked kinda dazed.  
  
"Dom, can't you see I'm busy right now?" Leon looked at his friend with his eyes wide and with a touch of his annoyance in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, I can, and it doesn't change the fact that we're leaving now." Dom emphasized now.  
  
"I have my own ride Dom and last time I checked I knew how to drive home without you." Dom gave him a very dirty look. "Ok, in a second Dom. I'll meet you by the cars in a second." Dom walked away. Kat looked embarrassed. "I guess I gotta go. Sorry 'bout that."  
  
"Don't be sorry Leon. I understand." She was mad at herself for losing her cool like she had, and worried that Sean never came back for her. But she did understand he had to keep Dom happy for now. She guessed she'd just hang out with Hector and Edwin for awhile and if Sean never came back she'd just leave in her car. But when she looked Hector and Edwin were gone. She'd have to wait by herself. Leon saw the same thing.  
  
"Where's your entourage?" He asked. He wouldn't leave her down here alone. Dom would just have to wait.  
  
"I don't know. I mean, Stacy and Kale took off in the Eclipse with some new 'friends' they made tonight long ago, but Sean should still be around." She was getting worried for Sean. She knew she could take care of herself so that wasn't a concern. But it wasn't like him to just take off on her. He normally worried about guys looking at her the wrong way or something too much to leave her alone. "Well, I'll wait with you by your car for another while till he comes back." Leon told her and took her elbow and started to lead her over to her car.  
  
"No, you gotta go, I'll be fine." She told him and tried to push him in the direction of his friends, who were not so patiently waiting. She sat on her hood carefully. "Go with your friends Leon. I'll be fine."  
  
"I'm not goin' till your friend comes back." He sat down beside her. Dom saw this and walked over to them.  
  
"Leon, let's go." Dom growled out.  
  
"I gotta wait with Kat till her friend comes back. I'm not leaving her alone down here." Leon gave Dom a look. Dom was a bit surprised. Leon was the easy goin' one. He normally went along with whatever other people said or told him. But Dom guessed he could see why Leon would not want to leave the girl here all alone. But they weren't waiting all night.  
  
"Fine, we'll wait." Dom gave the girl a dirty look. He hadn't said a word to her in all the times he'd seen her that night.  
  
"No one needs to wait for me. I'll be fine. Leon, go home." She widened her eyes at him and made a small head gesture like I would rather be alone then here with HIM. Leon was gonna fight her on it when her friend Sean walked up. He'd seen the tinge of fear in her eyes when Dom walked over and the way she looked at Leon. Sean said hi to Leon, thanked him for keeping Kat company and then gave Dom a menacing look. Dom knew that Sean knew that Kat didn't like him in that second. He walked over to his team. Leon told Kat goodnight and followed Dom.  
  
Kat knew that part of the reason she didn't like Dom was his arrogance. But it was also the fact that he came by his confidence honestly. He was the best racer in LA as far as the world was concerned and Kat knew that when she raced him he'd make her really work for the win. She knew that there was every chance she wouldn't be able to beat him too. But mostly she just hated the way he made her feel like he was looking down at her as not worthy of being here, of racing here. She knew since he didn't know her he was basing that conclusion souly on the fact she was a woman. And that ticked her off. She didn't know why Dom would not like her, other then the answers that Leon had given her. Answers she didn't really fully buy. Kat turned to Sean. 


	15. A bit insecure, a little unconfident

Chapter 15 - A Little Insecure, A Little Unconfident  
  
AN: Hey all, again I'm just in a writing mood so since I got another chapter of Deep enough ready I decided to update everything. I can hear people racing outside my bedroom window and my rex is still outta commission. That's like three weeks longer then it was supposed to take and I'm goin out of my mind. Summer'll be over and I won't get any more race time cause we get snow here and it's just not wise to speed in bad weather. But since I can't be out racing and doin' stupid stuff behind the wheel like want to I write about other people doin' it instead. To the person who told me to use a grammar checker.Um, I have a 600 dollar word processing suite on my laptop. If MS Office XP Pro doesn't catch it then it can't be caught by a computer and I'm a mechanic not an English major. I do my best but I miss stuff and so does the computer. As I say on my profile, if the computer can't spell it then I can't likely either and it's stayin' spelled wrong. Sorry but that's just how the cookie crumbles. Glad you liked the story anyway despite the misuse of then than.I think that's small to point out, I guess but that's just me.I might say something in a review if every second word was obviously misspelled but to say "For (and I assume you mean gods sake? I don't know what sods sake would be) god's sake use a grammar checker" seems a bit harsh over one word being used wrong a few times. I think the rest of what you said is complimentary but I'm not really sure because it came out kind of funky with rnrn in the middle and stuff. But thanks anyway for the review.I think. That came off really bitchy and I'm sorry but I hate to be corrected over something trivial when you knew what I meant. But sorry for being bitchy anway :) Anyway, on with the story.  
  
"Where were you man?" Kat asked Sean. She was a bit cheesed off that he left her to her own devices in a strange place. Not like she could meet people like he could. To most of the women here she was competition for the guys and to most of the guys she was just a race whore. Plus she had to come within 5 feet of Dom because of it. But then again, she knew that because he was often taking care of her, Sean missed out on his chance to meet girls that might want to date him. Since she didn't it wasn't fair to monopolize his time like she did.  
  
That thought scared the holy hell out of her. She always had the guys to fall back on. What happened when they all grew up and out grew taking care of her? It wasn't like she could ask them to stay with her forever. It had been the 4 of them against the world for so long that the thought of an end to that time almost made her cry right there. Just Kitten and her boys. United against all the shit life threw at them. But they were brothers not boyfriends. Sooner or later they were gonna meet girls they loved and want to move on with their own lives. She didn't see herself ever falling for a guy so at that time it felt like someday she would be all alone. She sniffed. She'd be left all alone while everyone else got on with their adult lives. She had no future but racing.  
  
"I met a cool group of people and I lost track of time talkin' to 'em. I figured you'd be entertained with the guys." Sean didn't sense her melancholy mood for the first time ever, normally he was totally in tune with her and knew when she was depressed. Kat really didn't think she was up to driving right now so she tossed the keys to the Skyline to Sean. He caught them then did a double take at her. He could count on one hand the number of times she had allowed him to drive the Skyline while she was in it with him. She trusted him implicitly with the car he knew, but she hated to let anyone else drive while she was in the car. It was one of the little idiosyncrasies that made her Kat. And she hated to hand the control away. Kat always had to be in control. Little miss independent hadn't had any control in her life till she came to them and now she never gave the control up. Well, almost never.  
  
Almost like he sensed that something wasn't ok Leon stopped his yellow car right in front of her car and rolled down his blacked out window. She seemed small, like she was drawn in on herself. "You ok Kat?" He asked softly. She gave him a watery smile.  
  
"I'll be ok. Just a little low after the adrenaline wears off. You're an adrenaline junkie, doesn't that happen to you?"  
  
"Not quite as big of a mood swing as happens to you. Man, your highs are high and the lows are low huh?"  
  
"Something like that." She gave him a slightly more enthusiastic smile.  
  
He snaked an arm out of the window and pulled her closer to the car. "Just means you feel girl, that's a good thing right? You're passionate about everything you do. Remember this conversation?" She looked down at him, seated in his car.  
  
"I guess so. I also remember being told that I was cocky and didn't know when to let enough alone." Her smile was almost normal. She crouched down by the car.  
  
"All that too, but it makes you interesting." Leon smiled down at her and moved the hair out of her eyes again. "Go on home Kat. I'll see you around."  
  
"Ok. Thanks for this Leon, you really cheered me up. I wish I could go to your party."  
  
"I'd like that too, but we have parties every week. When Dom calms down, you can come."  
  
"Deal." She stood up. "Well, see ya."  
  
"Yeah, see ya." Leon gave her one last glance and the peeled away with a squeal. He didn't want to leave her there. He watched her watch him leave with her arms wrapped around herself in a sad little hug. He wanted to gather her in his arms and make her know that everything was gonna be fine. That she was pretty and fine and not some sort of undesirable tom boy. That she could be a hot woman and a racer chick at the same time. That there was a guy in the world for her. It wasn't him mind you, but there was a guy somewhere. The desire to do so scared the hell out of him. He went home to his party.  
  
"Well, well, well. Who was that Kitten?" Sean asked her as she walked back to the car. He had known there was someone in her life that had her in a tail spin. She'd never even tried to date anyone but him and look were that went.  
  
"That was Leon, Brian's friend. He helped me with the car that first race night." She blushed and got in the passenger seat.  
  
"And when did he start being close enough to you to grab you like that?"  
  
"The day of my first race with the car I realized no one had ever checked over the NOS and stuff and that it wasn't my forte to set up so I told Brian I was worried about it and I didn't think you'd have time to check it out for me before races. I really didn't think you'd have time. So Brian said we'd take it down to his friends Jesse and Leon. Jesse is a phenom when it comes to engines. He's that amazing. He's the best mechanic ever. I'm sorry but that's the truth. And Leon drives a Skyline as you saw, so Brian said he could help Jesse make sure everything was perfect." Sean nodded.  
  
"So anyway, while I was there Leon teased me about how did I know I was ready to race since it had been months since I did it. And I had been nervous as hell but I'd been hiding it to that point. But then I broke down and told them I was scared I couldn't do it. And Leon took me to a little track and raced me to help me with my confidence. And I won a month of car washes off him come to think of it. Then of course they wanted to know how I did so Brian took me down there to show them the car and then Leon invited me to the races tonight. I hardly know him but we just kinda clicked." She finished.  
  
"So you're fallen' for him?" Sean asked with a smile. It was about time she fell for a guy.  
  
"No, I'm not falling for him. I just think he's nice. I hope we're gonna be good friends. I don't want to fall for anyone." She said.  
  
"But you want him." It wasn't a question. Sean could tell. He was momentarily hurt she hadn't wanted him. But he knew it wasn't anything against him personally it was just that their relationship had been friendship first and it was too weird to make it more. But still, his Kitten wanted this guy. "You can't help who you fall for Kitten. Whether you want to fall for him or not might not be relevant." Something clicked in his mind. "Jesus Christ, that was the fucken' pizza boy!" She didn't deny it. "Fuck Kat, what are you thinken'? What happens when he finds out? What if he recognizes us? You think he'll forgive you for your role in that night?"  
  
"He's never gonna find out Sean so it doesn't matter. He saw the picture of us and he didn't know us. He'll never know cause he has no idea where I live and we'll move before he ever does."  
  
"God Kitten. I can't believe you picked the pizza boy to fall for."  
  
"I never fell for anyone." She practically screamed. "Besides, I thought you couldn't help who you fell for. Just let it go Sean. He'll never know."  
  
"Fine. But you want him Kitten, whether you fell for him or not, and I just want you to be careful. I don't wanna see you hurt."  
  
"I won't. I'll be fine." Kat wished she was as sure as she sounded. They parked the car at Mama's and walked down the street to the payphone and caught a cab home. Kat and Sean each had showers and then they settled down on the couch to watch some TV before bed. It was late. Around three they decided to go to bed. Stacy and Kale never came home but Kat had figured they wouldn't. It was good for them to get to have some fun. She figured that Sean and she could have gone to someone's party but she was kinda glad they hadn't.  
  
She settled down on her 'bed' and tried to go to sleep but thoughts of the guys leaving her all alone and Leon finding out that it was her that held him up were keeping her awake. She tossed over for the tenth time.  
  
"Kitten, what's wrong?" Sean sighed. She was obviously upset, and he hoped it wasn't over him scaring her about the white boy she liked.  
  
"Nothin'." She mumbled out.  
  
"It's not nothing'. You're tossing and turning over there and it's obvious you can't sleep." Sean hated it when Kitten was upset.  
  
"I'm just down right now. Sean?" She asked in a small voice.  
  
"What kid?"  
  
"Can I sleep over there with you? I just feel, I don't now, not right. I'm scared."  
  
"Come 'ere Kitten." She got up and crawled in bed with him. She use to do that all the time when she was little and she'd had nightmares about her mom dieing and her brother trying to sell her. She'd crawl in bed with him and he'd keep her safe. "What made you scared about the future?"  
  
"It finally occurred to me that someday you guys are gonna move on and I'll be all alone." She started to sob.  
  
"Oh baby girl. That'll never happen. You're my girl. I'll never leave you. We might move on to other things, but you'll always be my Kitten. You know that." Sean pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "What made you think we'd ever leave you?"  
  
"It's not fair for me to ask you guys to stay here and take care of me. You can't lead normal lives because of me. I'm keeping you all from moving on." She stuttered out between hiccups and sobs.  
  
"You didn't ask us to do anything. We found you remember? And you didn't even want to stay with us at first. We knew what we were doing Kitten. And someday you'll find a man and leave us. Not the other way around." He rubbed her back just like he use to do when she was 15 and having one of her nightmares. "Now go to sleep. We're family, and family never just moves on. We'll always be together in some way Kitten, and you'll never be left on your own. Shush, go to sleep."  
  
"I love you Sean." She sighed as she finally drifted off to sleep, feeling safe as she did when he would hold her through her night terrors when she was a kid. Sean was her rock. His reassurances went a long way toward relieving her fears. If he said he'd never leave her then he never would. And they'd all be able to lead more normal lives when they got a house that had a bedroom for everyone.  
  
"I love you too kid." Sean told her and went to sleep himself. 


	16. How's the tuna?

Chapter 16 - How's the tuna?  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Mommy!" Kat screamed when they told her. Told her that her mother had been killed in a terrible car accident. The next weeks were a blur. Her step dad left and that left her two brothers to take care of her. Not that they did much taking care. They'd told her some of the details about the accident, how her mom had been driving home from a performance and someone who'd been drinking had t-boned her car. How she'd died instantly or very quickly. But it gave Kat nightmares about her mom being trapped in a car, slowing dieing as she bled to death. Kat didn't know if it was how it had happened or not but she'd always had an active imagination.  
  
Then her brother'd gone to sell her. Sell her! So it was obvious they didn't care about her at all. Her mom had been the only one who had and now her mom was gone.  
  
Kat had nightmares for the whole 6 months she'd lived with her brothers after this had all happened and they didn't stop when she ran away, if anything they got worse. And she was always alone in a hotel room when they happened.  
  
When she ended up living with the guys when Sean would hear her cry out he'd come to her, or one of the other guys would and they'd stay with her, hold her, till the tears went away and she calmed down. As she'd been with the guys longer and she'd become more confident in their love the nightmares had stopped. But Sean had been her rock, her bastion in the storm ever since those days.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
In the middle of the night Sean awoke to Kat in the middle of a nightmare. He got her calmed down and went back to sleep. He hoped this was not going to set her nightmares off again.  
  
Stacy and Kale let themselves into the house the next morning and saw Sean and Kat in the same bed.  
  
"Do you think she's having nightmares again?" Stacy asked Kale.  
  
"Must be." Kale answered. That was the only reason they ever slept in the same bed. If Kat had a nightmare she'd crawl in bed with one of the guys. Mostly Sean, but sometimes one of the others. The guys sat down to watch some TV till the other two woke up. Sean woke up first and went to get dressed. He gave them a very brief idea what upset Kat. Kat woke up shortly there after and they decided to take the Eclipse and go to the beach. Kat loved the beach and that'd help her feel better.  
  
They hung out on the beach all day. Kat told them she was gonna go look at houses the next day since they had enough money saved now she thought to buy a house. Kale told her how much he and Stacy had stashed from working for Tony. She gasped. It was a lot. She had an idea.  
  
"Why don't you guys keep the eclipse then? We don't really need the money from selling it now and you guys need a car for races and Stacy can even race in it. Then we just need to get Sean's Supra fixed up and we're all good."  
  
"You mean it Kitten?" Stacy asked her.  
  
"Sure. Long as I get to drive it sometimes." She giggled.  
  
"Sweet." Stacy said. He loved that car. And chicks dug it.  
  
They packed up and headed home. They had supper and went to do Sunday laundry and then they hung out with Conner for the rest of the night. Kat had a great time. Conner was hilarious and they danced to music and partied. She went to bed earlyish to get up in time to go house hunting the next day.  
  
"Argh, none of these houses have been what I told you I was lookin' for." Kat said, exasperated with the female real estate agent she'd been driving around with all morning. "I told you a big place with 4 big bedrooms, two baths and in a good neighbourhood close to that store I pointed out to you. Do you have anything to show me that fits my requirements or should I go to some other company?"  
  
"Well Miss, the kind of place you're describing won't be easy to afford. So if you need the size you say then you likely won't be able to live in that neighbourhood." The woman said with a sneer. Kat knew she looked young but she didn't look poor today. Her hair was in a fancy updo, she supposed her skirt was a little short, and her boots were a little high, but her shirt was dressy, a fancy cut sheer shirt over a tank top. She'd thought she looked good, for a 19 year old racer chick who sold auto parts for a living.  
  
"I didn't ask you to decide what I could afford, I asked you to show me houses that match my needs." Kat said with a disgusted sigh. "I'll decide what I can afford."  
  
"Fine, well I do have a house that might be ok in a neighbourhood called." They headed off to see this other house. They rolled up to the place. It was big. So mission one was accomplished. The lady let them in and Kat looked around the ground floor. It had a huge living room, a fair sized dining room, and a big, airy, light kitchen. There was also a half bath and a mudroom. There was a deck and a big backyard. The basement was finished and had a den and a laundry room. They went upstairs. The master bedroom had it's own bathroom. The other 3 bedrooms were huge. It was the perfect house for them. Close to work and not too far from the old hood. It had enough space for them all, and enough to have some nice parties too.  
  
Kat looked at the price. It was high, but with the down payment they had they could afford it. They should make an offer right away. She couldn't wait to move, then start to buy furniture. She had the money already lined up to buy the place. She should just tell the woman she'd take it now so that she wouldn't sell it to someone else that day.  
  
"Well, it's perfect. We'll take it. Where do we do the paperwork?"  
  
"What do you mean you'll take it?"  
  
"I mean what I said, I want to put an offer down on this house and purchase it." Kat told her with a sigh that clearly said she felt as if she was dealing with someone who was a tad slow in the brain. "I don't have all day to deal with this, I have to work. Could we wrap this up so that I don't end up late and you don't feel the need to sell this house to someone else?"  
  
"Well, alright. We'll go back to the office and do the paperwork. Do you have a mortgage already?" The woman didn't seem to believe that Kat had the money to buy the house.  
  
"Lady, this isn't all that expensive, it's not Beverly Hills ya know."  
  
They went back to the real estate office and did the paperwork. They took possession in three days. The people had moved out long ago so they didn't have to wait for them to move out or anything. The place was empty and ready for them to move in. Kat even made a bit of a deal because it had been empty a while. She headed to work and made it on time. She had the Eclipse today because it seemed to make a more professional statement then her Skyline with all the graphics did. Not that she would ever be ashamed of her Skyline but she wanted to make a very good impression on the realty people.  
  
She walked in the store and Brian made some sort of noise.  
  
"What's the occasion? You never get that dressed up for work. You look like you got a new job in an office or somethin'. You're not quittin' are you?"  
  
"As if, Brian. I had an appointment to look at a house today. I bought it too. I get to move in three days." She did a little happy dance. "And I have a change of clothes in the bag."  
  
"Aw don't change till Harry sees you." Brian smiled. "He'll think I hired someone else at first."  
  
"I don't look that different." She really didn't think she did.  
  
"Ok, just wait for Harry. He'll be here any minute."  
  
So she didn't change right away. Harry came in the store and offered to help her till she turned to face him. He was shocked. Kat laughed then begged to be allowed to go change before any racers came in and her rep was shot to hell. The guys laughingly agreed. She came out of the washroom with very lowrise cargo pants and a little camo print tank top. She'd taken her hair down as well.  
  
Harry asked her about the place she'd bough and she told him all about it but told them she wasn't telling anyone where it was till she moved in cause she didn't want to jinx anything. They laughed at her. It had been the same with the car. She hadn't wanted anyone to know anything about it till it was all done. They got to work. Harry got a phone call and went to take it in the office. He came out awhile later and left in a very bad mood. Kat and Brian had no idea what his problem was.  
  
Around 3 in the afternoon her tummy growled and she remembered she'd skipped lunch and she never ate breakfast so she hadn't eaten yet that day. She was starving. Brian heard the rumble and told her to go get something to eat. So she did.  
  
She wasn't use to driving around in the area where the store was, she normally left and went straight home. She thought she'd seen a Mickey Dee's down this one street at one point so she turned down it. She didn't find McDonald's but she found Torreto's. The café wasn't far from the store, just like Brian had told her. She figured Mia was harmless enough and she'd may as well get lunch there at the café. She parked and walked in. Mia was all alone thank god. Mia had her back to the counter and Kat sat down quietly.  
  
"How's the tuna?" Kat asked. Mia jumped then turned around.  
  
"Crappy, last time I checked." Mia answered with a laugh. "What are you doin' here?"  
  
"I'm hungry and I got lost looking for the Mickey Dee's."  
  
"Oh, you got lucky. That place is a sty. Have a ham sandwich."  
  
"Sounds great. Say, this is gonna be a strange question, but you're not expecting your brother are you?" Kat asked with a grimace.  
  
"Naw, not expecting him today at all. He mostly spends time at the garage. And after what happened on Saturday I don't blame you for not wanting to see him. He can be an ass sometimes."  
  
"Yeah he can. Well, I was just as much to blame. I have this issue with backing down from people who run their mouths. But I have a tendency to run mine too."  
  
"Brian said you were toe to toe with 'im and that he didn't see either of you backing off on your own." Mia said with a look that said she clearly would have loved to see someone other then Letty stand up to her brother.  
  
Kat winced and nodded yes. "Man. I'm an idiot."  
  
"I have no doubt he deserved it totally." Mia smiled and put the sandwich in front of her. "Is that the car you won?" Mia asked pointing at the Eclipse. Kat told her yes. They chatted while Kat ate.  
  
"Well, I gotta go back to work. Thanks for the sandwich." Mia smiled. Kat went and bought some candy for the afternoon and headed back. Dom came in just as Kat's car rounded the corner.  
  
"That sounded like a tuner car?" Dom asked his sister.  
  
"It was." Mia answered and continued to wipe off the counter. When she didn't offer any more information Dom asked her,  
  
"Well, who was it?"  
  
"No one." Mia wouldn't look Dom in the eye.  
  
"It was her wasn't it?" Dom asked with a sneer.  
  
"Yeah it was, she got lost lookin' for McDonald's and I wasn't sendin' her to get food poisoned. You know how gross that place is."  
  
Dom nodded and went to do some work on the orders for the next week. It wasn't when he would normally do it but he'd had to get away from the garage for awhile. Had to get away from Letty and her bad mood, Leon and his moonie looks, Jesse and his hyperness, and Vince and what was his almost permanent bad mood lately. And Dom wasn't having a great string of luck lately either. Letty losing hadn't been something he'd foreseen. Kat was better then he gave her credit for at first. But she wouldn't beat him. He'd make sure of it.  
  
Kat got back to the store and stopped her car with a squeal of brakes at the curb and wandered back in with her plastic bag of treats clutched in her hand. She didn't see anyone at the counter or up front.  
  
"Brian, hey Bri, where are you?" She started to walk out back calling his name. They never left the front of the store unmanned. Someone was always there watching for customers and waiting to answer the phone. She went back up front and set her bag down. Then she went out back again and again called Brian's name. No one answered her. She stood in the middle of the storeroom, which was huge, with her hands on her hips looking around the back room. She felt like calling 'where is everybody, where did everybody go' like that old Harvey's commercial but she didn't. She walked slowly back up front. Where was Harry, or Brian? She didn't think they would just leave the store alone.  
  
While she was standing at the counter with her back to the back area someone grabbed her from behind.  
  
"Argh." She screamed and jumped in the air. She tried to kick who ever was back there but they dodged her. She was abruptly released.  
  
"Chill out Kat, it's just me." Brian gave her that goofy grin.  
  
"Damn it Bri, you had me scared to death." She panted with her hand held to her chest. "I called for you like a hundred times."  
  
"I know, I didn't say anything cause I wanted to surprise you. I guess it worked huh?"  
  
"I'm gonna kill you." She said with a snarl and lunged at him.  
  
"Oh boy." Brian said and started to dash away from her. She chased him laughing all around up front till Harry walked in the door.  
  
"What's goin' on here?" Harry asked while both his employees looked at him with sheepish smiles.  
  
"He started it." Kat said and pointed at Brian.  
  
"Yeah, I sorta did didn't I?" Brian had his typical I'm a bad ass but you love me anyway smile on his face.  
  
"Will someone tell me what's goin' on please?" Harry asked.  
  
"Brian sent me to get somethin' to eat since I forgot to get lunch before I came to work. So while I was gone he hid. Then while I went through the place looken' for him he didn't say anything so I figured I was all alone. Then when I was standing up front puzzling over where everyone had gotten to he came up behind me and grabbed me and screamed gotya. I got away and chased him. Then you walked in." Kat finished with a dirty look at Brian. Harry just laughed. He'd been mad at first but imagining Kat shocked like that put him out of the bad mood he'd been in since the phone call he received.  
  
"You two are worse then a couple of little kids." Harry shook his head and headed to his office.  
  
Kat stuck out her tongue at Brian. "I thought he was gonna be mad we were runnin' in the store."  
  
"So did I, actually." Brian answered. "I think he goes easy on you."  
  
"Easy on me? Why do you say that?" Kat looked puzzled.  
  
"Cause he would normally have been pissed we were runnin' in the store. It must be that he doesn't want to yell at you." Brian said with a smirk.  
  
"Well, maybe he just had a good day and doesn't feel like yellin'." Kat answered. She refused to have him go easy on her just because she was a girl or he perceived her as delicate or something. Brian gave her a look like 'not likely' and then went back to cleaning displays. The phone rang and Kat got it. She took an order for some parts and then leaned on the counter and stared out the window. "We need some music or somethin' Bri, it's too quiet."  
  
"You have any CD's in your car?" Brian asked.  
  
"I should." She said on her way out the door to grab some. She got her CD collection out of the car and headed back in. Brian showed her the stereo and she popped on a CD. All her CD's were homemade so the stuff that was on them could be very funky, especially to have some of the stuff on one CD. The first song on the cd she put in was rock your body by Justin Timberlake.  
  
"Hey, that has a catchy beat to it. Who is it?" Brian asked. Kat told him and he groaned out that he hated that guy. Kat laughed at him.  
  
"All guys are the same. They like the song till someone tells 'em who is singing and then they hate it. Stop bein' a hater for three minutes and just enjoy the song. I don't like the guy either but this is a good song." Kat just liked music, she didn't care who was singing it very often. Who cared if the guy was a wiener if he could sing alright.  
  
Kat grabbed a broom and started to dance with it. Brian was laughing at her antics. "Is that the best you can do?" He asked her with a smile.  
  
"While dancing with the broom, yes." She said. What did he expect? "Can you dance white boy?" She asked with a grin.  
  
"I've been known to cut loose occasionally." Brian tried to look serious.  
  
"Well, let's go then." She walked up to him. "Whatcha got?" She tried to dance with him but he wasn't as good as he let on. She sighed. "Brian you dance..."  
  
"Like a white boy." Someone cut in from the door. 


	17. Now this guy can Dance

Chapter 17 - Now this guy can Dance  
  
AN:Sorry for the short chapter and for the fact that not much happens but now that I basically only have the two stories it'll get easier for me to write them and then you'll get more story faster. Sorry to the fans of She's Bonnie but it's almost done. :( Two for one type deal. But you people reading this need to review. I'll hunt you down and turn you into Vampires like me if you don't! J/K but still please review.  
  
"Rome!" Brian exclaimed and walked over to his friend. He gave him a slap on the back. "What are you doin' in LA?"  
  
"Miami got boring when you left to come back here so I decided to check it out. Why did you leave?" Brian looked down at his shoes and thought for a second. "It was over a chick wasn't it?" Rome asked.  
  
"Yeah, I had a girl when I ended up down there and I missed her, so I came back up here to try to make up with her and her family when we were done and she did forgive me so here I am." Brian gave Rome a sheepish smile. He'd left Miami rather abruptly and had barely told his friend he was leaving and where he was going.  
  
"It's always a chick with you Brian." Rome smiled.  
  
"Hey, Mia's not a chick, she's a very sweet girl and I love her to death." Brian got defensive.  
  
"And her 'family' is the guy you let go right?" Rome asked. Kat was watching this with great interest. She'd heard rumors about what had gone down, about Brian being a cop and trying to bust Dominic and the others for jacking trucks, but she figured that they were just rumors because everyone was still around. But she hadn't known Brian had run away to Miami either.  
  
"Hey man, not so loud. I managed to keep that shit mostly under wraps and got them all off; I don't need the wrong person to hear you." Brian gave Kat a fearful look, like she hated Dom enough to turn him in because he really did it or something.  
  
"Brian, I heard all about it before in rumors from other people. I might not like Dom but I wouldn't do anything that would get you, Jesse or Leon in trouble either." Kat told him with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm coo, remember where I'm from?"  
  
"I know that Kat, but Harry doesn't know the whole story and who knows who else could walk in and hear him." Brian gave Rome a nasty look. Rome threw up his hands.  
  
"Aren't you gonna introduce me to your friend?" Kat gave Brian a look.  
  
"Oh right. Sure. Rome this is Kat, Kat, Rome, a friend of mine from childhood."  
  
"Nice to meet you Rome." They shook hands.  
  
"Same to you Kat. When I talked to Brian about his job here he never mentioned he had such a pretty co-worker."  
  
"Really?" She gave Brian a kidding look like he should have mentioned her first. The three people started talking about Miami and racing. It was really slow that day and no one ever came in to shop. They slowly migrated toward the counter and Kat hopped up on it and grabbed her bag of goodies. She helped herself and then let the guys look to see if they wanted anything.  
  
"Oh, Brian, I got lost at lunch and ended up at Torreto's. Mia says hi." Kat smiled.  
  
Brian grinned back. The song playing on the radio changed to 'Put your back into it'.  
  
"So, Kat, you tried to dance with the white boy, you wanna dance with someone who knows what he's doin'?"  
  
"You think you can keep up?" Kat asked with an innocent look.  
  
"I can, you might have trouble."  
  
"Oh, it's on man. Let's go!" Kat laughed out. Rome held out a hand to help her down off the counter and they moved to an open section of floor. Brian restarted the song and they danced to it. Brian was in shock by how they danced. It looked like they were all over each other. Kat was laughing, it was obliviously a fun time to her, Rome looked slightly more stunned then like he was having great fun. He obviously hadn't expected Kat to be able to dance like that. But he was keeping up with her. The song ended with Kat's back against Rome's front and a stunned look on the man's face. "Well, you weren't kidden when you said you danced better then Brian." Kat gasped out. "And you gave me a good workout." She grabbed a clean rag and wiped her forehead. When she was done Rome took it and did the same.  
  
"Where'd you learn to move like that girl?" Rome was surprised at her skill.  
  
"It was a pretty standard way to dance in my high school. We use to sneek into this club called VooDoo and hit it every weekend. It was a great time, and where I lived then no one cared we were up in the club at 16." Kat hopped back onto the counter and fished in her bag of goodies again. She popped open her cherry coke and took a big swig. Then she proceeded to open a package of fundip. "Fundip and Cherry Coke, how old are you again?" Brian asked her.  
  
"Old enough to know better and way too young to care." She stuck her now blue tongue out at him and took another drink of coke. "Well guys, we should start to think about closin' up the place."  
  
"Yeah, I guess we should." Brian checked the time. They started to work on the stuff they had to get done to close the store. Kat had called the guys earlier and told them to be home if possible when she got back so that they could go out to dinner. She told them she had something important to talk to them about. She really wanted to tell them they got a house and show it to them.  
  
Since she had told them she would meet them at home she was somewhat surprised when they all walked in the store.  
  
"Guys what are you doin' here?" She asked with a grin. "I thought I was gonna meet you guys at home."  
  
"We decided to save you the trip home and just meet you here." Kale told her as they walked up to her and proceeded to grab her in a group hug.  
  
"I want you all to meet Brian. Well, Sean you know him already of course but anyway, Brian this is Kale and that's Stacy. Guys this is Brian. Oh, and this is Brian's friend from school Rome, who I just met." Everyone shook hands. "Well Bri, it's that time of day and my guys are taken' me out to dinner." She said with a wink and the guys grinned.  
  
"Oh we are, are we?" Stacy said. "You're the one with the fancy job." He said, everyone knew he was kidding.  
  
"Yep, cause you all owe me. I'll tell you for what over dinner." She started to herd them all out of the store. "See you tomorrow Bri." She called back over her shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, see ya Kat." Brian answered and watched them go. Kat basically telling the three huge guys what to do and them doing it with a smile.  
  
"So, what's up with the girl and the homeboys?" Rome asked Brian when they had peeled out of the lot of the Racer's Edge in Kat's Eclipse.  
  
"They've been taken' care of her since she was 15. I guess she was a run away and they found her but after they found out what she'd run away from they never sent her back. She loves 'em like brothers, and I know for a fact that Sean would kill anyone who so much as looked at her wrong. They kind of scare me sometimes, but Kat is really nice."  
  
"Why do they scare you?" Rome knew it wasn't cause they were black or big, half the kids in their clique in school had been.  
  
"They were leaders in the gang The Tigers. Sean's brother is the head of that gang still."  
  
Rome whistled through his teeth. "I heard 'bout them. They are bad. Why'd ya hire the girl then?"  
  
"I didn't know at first, obviously, but she's nice, like I said. She's smart, she knows cars. She can race. She might be better then we've seen down here in awhile. I think she's gonna challenge Dom. I don't think she can beat 'im. But she's gonna make him work to keep his King of LA title. She fits in like no one else ever has. I just like her too."  
  
"Well, girl can dance. She seein anyone?"  
  
"I think she has a thing for my friend Leon. And I think he feels somethin' for her too. I hope so anyway cause they're cute together. Anyways, I'm done here, you have a place to stay yet?"  
  
"Naw B, why do ya think I'm here?" Rome asked him.  
  
Brian told him it shouldn't be a problem for Rome to stay with them at Dom's for awhile at least. They headed to the house to introduce Rome to the team.  
  
"So guys, you know I have something to tell ya. Is what it is killen' ya?" Kat looked around at the guys. They were at their favorite Italian restaurant waiting to order.  
  
"Yeah kid, the suspense is killen' us." Kale said with a laugh. "You always make us sweat the big news." Sean reached over and tickled her sides.  
  
"Spill it." He laughed at her squirming, trying to get away.  
  
"Stop it." She laughed out, trying to catch some breath. "I'll tell, I'll tell." She got out. Sean stopped.  
  
"Well?" Sean asked.  
  
"I found a house. It's perfect, close to my work, not too far from Sean's. Good neighbourhood. Reasonably priced, and huge. And I hope you're not mad at me but I bought it on the spot. I didn't want someone else to get it." She looked around with a nervous look on her face so the guys wouldn't yell at her for not consulting them first.  
  
"Ah kitten, you know we don't care where we live, long as we get our own rooms finally." Stacy told her. "Where is this house exactly?"  
  
The waitress came and took their orders then. They ate and then while they were deciding what to do after that Stacy remembered she'd never answered him cause they ordered and ate right after he asked. He asked again. 


	18. A home of her own

Chapter 18 - A home of her own  
  
Kat remembered she'd never told them where the house was. "Oh yeah, right. The place is called Echo Park. You guys wanna go see it? I have the keys. We don't officially own it till Wednesday though."  
  
"Of course we wanna see it. Lead on." Kale told her and they paid the bill and left. They climbed into the Eclipse and Kat drove to the house.  
  
"Wow, it is big." Sean said with some aw in his voice. The house was two stories and a bit of an attic. It was a pretty pale grey color. It had a nice sized lawn and a two car garage. Kat let them in and took them on a tour. She told them that she was claiming the room with it's own bathroom and the guys just laughed. As the girl they would have made her take the big room even if she'd tried to take a smaller one. But being Kat, she just claimed what she wanted for hers like she always did.  
  
They left and went home.  
  
Tuesday went so slow for Kat. She wasn't coming in the next day because they were moving into their new house and they were going furniture shopping. Kat couldn't wait. And it made her fidgety. She made it through and went home to the old apartment for the last time.  
  
"Well, you guys all packed?" She asked them.  
  
"Yes mother." The chimed in unison, like they knew that was coming. She laughed and went to finish her packing. She was picking up the truck from the Racer's edge the next morning to use to move. Harry had insisted.  
  
She was quietly packing up her stuff. She was aware of being vaguely melancholy about leaving the old 'hood. She'd lived down here for the last 4 years. She'd gotten use to it and in some ways she was gonna miss it. In a lot of other ways she was glad they'd finally have a normal life and be able to park their cars at there own house without worrying about finding them gone or stripped the next day, and be able to have people over without an armed escort off their street.  
  
Kat found it hard to sleep and the morning was forever coming. They loaded their meager possessions into the truck and drove the 20 minutes to their new house. Everything they were keeping fit in one truckload. Everyone was getting new beds and they really hadn't had any furniture in the old house. They had to buy appliances too.  
  
They unloaded the truck and went to return it then go do some shopping. Kat drove the truck and Stacy hopped in it with her. Sean and Kale followed in the Eclipse. It was such a fun car to drive around in when the weather was nice. She knew the guys preferred it cause it had more room then the interior of her skyline. They arrived at the Racer's Edge and parked the truck. She went inside to find Harry and Stacy followed her in. Harry was at the counter. "Kitten, how'd it go? You all done already?" Harry asked as he walked out around the counter to greet her. He pulled her into a quick hug.  
  
"Yeah, all done. I told you we didn't have a lot of stuff." She told him then introduced Harry to Stacy. Something bugged Stacy about Harry, but not in a bad way, just he knew there was something about the man he should clue into. He couldn't figure it out, but Harry did seem to look out for Kat just like they assumed he did. Which was good, because the guys all knew something was up between Kat and that Dom Torreto guy and they worried about Dom hassling her at work. Especially since Dom's best friend was technically Kat's boss, but now Stacy knew that Harry would never let Dom hurt Kat. The two men shook hands and Stacy added his thanks for the use of the truck and then they joined the rest of the team in the convertible.  
  
"So guys, time for your favorite activity, shopping." Kat exclaimed. Three groans met her statement, the guys, like typical men, hated to shop for anything but beer and food. "Oh come on. You have to help me pick out furniture. I can't do it all on my own."  
  
"Why not? We don't care what we sit on Kitten. It's all the same to us." Kale told her.  
  
"Yeah, it's not like we give a care about colors or styles. Long as we have a comfortable place to watch sports." Sean told her.  
  
"Guys, I am not furnishing a whole house on my own." The statement was made in a tone that allowed for no argument. While Kat knew they had enough money left in the bank to buy whatever furniture they wanted she didn't figure they had to go crazy. For some stuff used would do. So they hit the used furniture place first. She got a sweet leather living room set and the appliances they needed there. They got a dining room set at another used furniture store, and at the same store Kale got a bedroom set.  
  
They went to a new furniture store and Kat saw an oak bedroom set she loved. It was more then she wanted to spend so she walked away. The guys looked at it and figured it was what every little girl would have loved to have but Kitten never had a chance. It had a queen sleigh bed, an 8 drawer double dresser with an arched mirror for over it, a 5 drawer highboy and a huge armoire. They drug her back over to it and then told the sales man they'd take it. Kat protested but it was one of those things that she couldn't win. It was gonna be delivered that day so she'd have it for that night. They found bedroom stuff for the guys as well, one at the new store and one at the next used place. Then they went shopping for electronics.  
  
They refused to skimp on this addition to the house. They bought a big screen TV for the living room and a home theater, DVD, VCR and stereo to go with it. They bought a small TV for the kitchen. Kat got a small TV for her room.  
  
Kat then insisted they go looking for bedding and curtains and blinds. The guys were ready to stop now. It was more then enough shopping for them for the day. But they followed her to Walmart with a sigh. They knew she wasn't stopping till she felt done. She got blinds, curtains, bedding, towels, shower curtains, kitchen stuff, the guys were amazed at how much stuff she figured they needed right away.  
  
They went and laughed at the Walmart car stuff, stickers that said 'racing' and 'NOS' being sold at Walmart. Then they checked out and somehow managed to cram all their stuff into the small trunk of the Eclipse. It just barely closed and then they drove home and carted it all in. The deliveries started to arrive soon after they got home and they spent the rest of the day putting stuff away and setting stuff up.  
  
By that night everything was put away and they were all moved in. They went to bed early, they were all tired. Kat couldn't remember the last time she slept so well. And she no longer had to worry about bugs. She got up and enjoyed some juice in her nice, big, clean kitchen and then headed out to work.  
  
Work was pretty uneventful. She had pretty much a standard day then headed home. She was out working under the Supra. Shawn had bought the intercooler and the exhaust system for it and she was installing it for something to do. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a bikini top. No matter how much the guys yelled at her about safety she never wore more then that when she worked on the cars at home. She had the car up on axel stands and she was lying on a creeper under the engine.  
  
Leon decided to walk to the store down the street for some beer and chips. Dom was driving him insane and he had to get away. He could drive but it really was only 4 blocks down the street. Seemed kinda lazy to drive. Plus walking would take longer.  
  
He walked by this house on his street that had been empty for quite some time and saw curtains up in the windows. Then he noticed the car up in the air in the driveway with a pair of what he would swear were ladies legs sticking out from under it. He walked closer. He studied the long lightly tanned legs. He knew those legs.  
  
"God damn it."  
  
Leon knew that expletive as well. That was Kat. He wondered what she was doing working on cars in his neighbourhood.  
  
"For fuck's sake." She swore again, and mumbled about the 'god damn pipe' and Leon heard some clanking noises. He used the toe of his shoe to haul the creeper out from under the car.  
  
He pulled a very irate Kat out from under the car sucking on her thumb. Her very dirty, and now slightly bloody thumb.  
  
"Damn it Sean, did I ask you to help me? I'm not done." She opened her eyes and looked up into eyes not deep brown but brilliant green.  
  
She came out spiting fire and she was one of the sexiest sights Leon ever saw, grease on her nose, sucking on her cut thumb, hair everywhere, dressed in very short jean cutoffs that rode very low and lose on her hips, and a stars and strips pattered bikini top. Leon asked himself who worked on cars dressed like that.  
  
"Oh hi Leon. I wasn't expecting you to be around. How did you find out where I lived?" She stood up with the help of the hand he offered her.  
  
"You live here?" Leon asked her incredulously.  
  
"No I work on strangers cars all the time. I just stop and add HKS exhausts to them all the time." She said sarcastically. "Of course I live here."  
  
"It's a small world. We live in that white house with the cement step across the street and down 4 houses." Leon pointed.  
  
"No shit?" Kat asked him with a very surprised look on her face.  
  
"That's where we live." He confirmed.  
  
"Well then this is a small world." She gave Leon a sunny smile. Worse things could happen then finding out the cute guy you sorta liked lived right across the street, she told herself. "So whatyadoin'?"  
  
"Goin' to the store. Wanna come?" She was unconsciously playing with a small drop of oil on her tummy. Leon watched her finger move the oil in circles.  
  
"Um sure, let me grab a shirt." She told him and went to run into the house.  
  
"You can go like you are, this is a pretty easy goin' neighbourhood." Leon told her and groaned inwardly, realizing he sounded like a letch.  
  
"Ok, but people are gonna think I'm some dirty kid you baby sit. I look like a 12 year old who's been playing in the mud." She looked down at herself in disgust.  
  
"You look good." Oh god he sounded like Vince after Mia. Like you look good in a gruff voice was some big compliment to a girl. Only he guessed it was an ok compliment to Kat cause she positively beamed at him. And no way would she ever look 12 to him.  
  
"Thank you." She told him. "But shouldn't I wipe the grease off myself first?"  
  
"Naw, you look so cute with the smudge on your nose. Trust me, everyone'll be jealous of me for being with you."  
  
"Ok, in this case, and in this case only flattery will get you everywhere." She laughed and walked over to the sidewalk. "Let's go."  
  
Sean watched her go with a smile. He hoped that Leon was the guy for Kat. It was about time that Kat found someone. But god help the man if he ever hurt her. Sean watched them till they left his line of sight. Kat was talking a mile a minute and gesturing like she always did and Leon was just smiling at her indulgently and listening intently to every word. Sean didn't like Leon's friend much but he could yet to find fault with Leon himself.  
  
Kat was telling Leon about the engine and exhaust she had planned for the Supra. He made comments occasionally but mostly just let her talk. She was so animated while she spoke about things she was passionate about. Leon found himself wishing she'd talk about him that way to people. But she'd made it clear that she didn't want to have a relationship with him and he didn't want to get attached to her when she'd so obvious that she didn't want more then friendship from him.  
  
But that didn't mean he wasn't going to get to know her better. He figured you never knew what could change. Maybe they'd come to realize they were perfect for each other.  
  
They arrived at the little corner store and Leon got Corona and chips and picked out a video to watch that evening. Kat got her old standby of cherry coke and Fundip. She started to eat a package of the candy and Leon watched the clerk look at Kat like she was the candy stick and he wanted to dip her in sugar and lick her off. As Leon watched her little pink tongue clean the powder off that thing he had the same though. But he didn't want to share the thought with the punk behind the counter.  
  
"You ready Kat?" He asked and held his hand out to her. If she took his hand then the guy behind the counter would hopefully take the hint. She took his hand with a smile and followed him out of the store still holding his hand. Leon caught the look of disappointment on the kid's face. No one messed with the Torreto's in this neighbourhood so if the kid thought Kat was his girl he wouldn't even go there.  
  
Holding Leon's hand felt natural to Kat and when he didn't let go when they left the store she didn't fight him. They started walking back toward their houses. Leon could smell her hair. She smelled like oranges, grease, and something Leon suspected was roses. "So what are you doin' tonight Kat?"  
  
"Well, the plan is to work on the car till the light gives out then maybe watch a flick with the boys. It's Thursday so I don't have much planned." She answered.  
  
"You wanna come watch this movie" he held up the case, "'the Transporter' with us? I'm sure it'll be fine. Since you're new to the 'hood and I'm just being neighbourly."  
  
"I'd love to, but will you let me change first this time?" She giggled. "I don't want to go to someone else's house dressed like a skank and with half a garage of dirt and grease on me."  
  
"Well, if you think you have to change then I guess I'll be the gentleman and say that it's fine. But you don't look like a skank, and you're not that dirty." She gave him a look, half thanking him for the compliment and half knowledge she knew he was sucking up to her.  
  
"Great, you can wait in the house while I do that." She said and hauled him into her house.  
  
"Hey guys this is Leon. I'm gonna go watch a movie at his place. Don't harass him too much while I change. Oh and Leon, this is Sean, Kale and Stacy. They don't bite. Hard anyway." She laughed and ran up the stairs.  
  
"So how do you know Kat?" Stacy asked the skinny white boy.  
  
"Um, well, her boss Brian is a good friend of mine. He races for my friend. We're all sort of a team I guess." Leon answered, trying not to be nervous. He felt the same way he did when he took his first girlfriend out for the first time and her father gave him the third degree.  
  
"So where's your house at Bro?" Kale asked.  
  
"It's the white house across the street and down 4 houses. It has my yellow skyline at the end of the driveway and Letty's purple Nissan 240 out front on the street." Leon answered. Sean just nodded.  
  
Kat was upstairs trying to decide what to wear. She didn't want to look preppy, but she didn't want to look skanky either. She wanted to look like a girl, and that was not a feeling she'd ever had before. She had never though of looking feminine before. She picked out a leather skirt and put it back cause she wanted to be comfortable as well if she was just kicking around Leon's house.  
  
She pulled on a pair of baby blue velour track pants that were cut low, to the line at the bottom of her tummy, and then she pulled on a white tank top with the word kitten on it in rhinestones. She put on her white and pink sketchers with the sparkly sides and smoothed out her hair. She figured she'd do and headed down to rescue Leon from the guys.  
  
They weren't harassing him, Kat discovered. They were all talking cars. Kat smiled. That meant they liked him.  
  
"Ok, I'm ready. This isn't too casual is it?" She asked, gesturing at her outfit.  
  
"Naw, you look good." Again, with the 'you look good'. Leon shook his head mentally. But again she smiled and walked up to him.  
  
"You ready, or do you guys wanna finish talkin' first?"  
  
"We're ready, we was just talkin' cars."  
  
They went out the front door and crossed the street. They walked toward Leon's house.  
  
"You sure this is cool Leon? I don't wanna start shit for you wit your team."  
  
"It'll be fine. Just don't expect Dom to wanna talk and stuff. He'll be alright though." Leon wasn't all that concerned. He knew Dom would be mad at him in some ways but Leon figured Dom wouldn't say anything, at least till Kat went home. After all, everyone liked her but Dom. And probably Letty. Who'd still be pissed off she lost. They walked into the house and Leon went to put the beer in the fridge.  
  
Kat followed him straight to the kitchen on his heals. She didn't want to be alone in the house at all. If Leon was around she felt safe. She leaned on the counter while he put stuff away. He turned to her and noticed her nervous look.  
  
"No one's gonna bite you know. It'll be fine." He gave her a reassuring smile. "You want a beer?"  
  
"Naw, I don't like beer." She made a face like she'd tasted something really vile.  
  
"That's like saying you don't like cars around here girl, how do you not like Corona?"  
  
"It all tastes like crap to me dude, it doesn't matter what kind it is. I can't tell the difference anyway." Kat said, pinched look of distaste still on her face.  
  
"Ok, I knew you were strange, but not that strange. Imagine not liking Corona." He shook his head, a mock look of wonder on his face. Kat punched him in the shoulder.  
  
"I'm not weird. Lots of people don't like beer. I'm one of 'em." Leon shook his head.  
  
"Do you want something else? We got rum and tequila too."  
  
"Naw, I'll just have a soda, whatever's handy. Member what I said about me and liquor? It wouldn't be a good idea." She watched Leon put ice in a mug and add coke to it. He handed her the drink and put a bag of popcorn in the microwave.  
  
"It goes faster if someone does this in advance." He said, gesturing at the appliance. "The microwave is fussy and if anyone but Mia or me tries to use it, it doesn't tend to work. They'll all be yellen' for popcorn anyway but if we feed them first, they stay quiet. Well all but Vince. He's never quiet." They laughed together.  
  
"Hey, I heard that." Vince said from the doorway of the kitchen. "But he's right, it's likely easier for him to just make the popcorn so you all don't have to listen to me or Dom curse at the thing or beat on it." Vince grinned. "How you doin' Miss Kat?"  
  
"I'm fine Vince, and how are you?" Kat answered in her best southern accent. Leon laughed and just as Vince was about to continue carrying on with her Dom entered the kitchen.  
  
"You get a movie Leon?" He asked; he hadn't seen Kat yet because of where she was standing.  
  
"Yeah Dawg, I got 'The Transporter'. It promises to deliver what xXx and some other movie, I forget the name, failed to do." Leon rhymed off what he had read on the box of the movie. The three men laughed, then Dom saw Kat standing in his kitchen, going out of her way to look only between Vince and Leon.  
  
Dom couldn't believe that Leon had brought the girl to their house. Hanging out with her at races and Brian working with her was bad enough. They didn't need her in their house. Dom figured that Kat already knew he didn't like her.  
  
"So, why are you here Kat?" He asked bluntly. There went Leon's theory that Dom would just ignore her.  
  
Kat just gave Vince an even more studied look and ignored Dom and his question all together. Leon answered.  
  
"I asked her Dawg. I walked past her house on the way to the store and then I asked her to see this movie with us. Since she's new to the neighbourhood I figured it was the neighbourly thing to do." Leon gave Dom a slightly pleading look, like please don't embarrass yourself, and us by proxy. Dom failed to take the hint.  
  
"What do you mean you walked by her house on the way to the store? What store did you go to?"  
  
"Same store as I always go to Bro. They moved into that huge place across the street down a few houses. You know the one I mean."  
  
"Convenient. You just happened to move to a new house almost right next door to me huh?" Dom spoke directly to Kat even though she had yet to acknowledge his presence.  
  
Kat couldn't let that one slide. "Yep, it was a coincidence, but there was nothing convenient about it. Believe me, if I had known you were so close they could've been given that house away and I wouldn't have taken it. What about you makes you think that I give a fuck where you live? I didn't come here to see you. Dom if you died I wouldn't buy you life." She delivered that statement totally deadpan. Vince looked shocked.  
  
"Oh real." Dom was cut off by Leon.  
  
"Dom! Enough. I do live here right?" Dom nodded. That was obvious at least. "Then I hope I can have a friend over to watch a movie without you goin' nuts." Dom sighed but nodded.  
  
The microwave beeped and Dom left the kitchen. Leon put the popcorn in a bowl.  
  
"He'll get over it, just give it time." Leon told her.  
  
"I don't much care if he gets over it, as long as I don't have to fight him all the time. You saw how I tried not to get involved. He can hate me all he wants if he can just do it quietly. A girl racer is used to not being liked by guys, just most of 'em settle for snide looks and little petty comments, not this all out verbal war that Dickhea. I mean Dom, seems intent on." They all laughed. They popped another bag of popcorn and headed to the living room.  
  
Mia and Brian said hello, as did Jesse. Letty gave her a slightly less dirty look then Kat was use to from her but didn't say anything. Rome stood up, he was still staying with Brian for awhile.  
  
"If it isn't my home girl Kat." He smiled and walked up to her. He did the same handshake with her as she did with Edwin. "How you liven' Kat?"  
  
"Good Bro, how you liken' LA?" She asked as Rome walked her over to a quiet corner of the room. Leon frowned.  
  
"Not bad, not bad. But I need to get outta the house and find some action. You know where a Brotha can get hooked up?"  
  
"Well, depends on what you mean by hooked up." No matter what it was Kat knew where Rome would have to go for it but it would be different depending on what he wanted.  
  
"I wanna go out, dance, have a good time." Rome told her.  
  
"Whatoya dance to?"  
  
"Anything if you'll dance with me girl," He winked at her, "but hip hop, dance, anything fast."  
  
"Then you need to hit Voodoo. And I could be persuaded to show you the way on Saturday if you wouldn't mind if the boys came with." Kat hadn't been out in a while. Going dancing sounded like fun.  
  
"The more the merrier. We'll talk more about it later." She nodded. She noticed Leon did not look happy. She tossed Rome a smile and walked over to Leon.  
  
"Where do ya wanna sit?" All the seats but a big chair and the floor were taken.  
  
"How 'bout the chair? You can sit on me with your back on the arm." He suggested. He didn't know if she'd go for it. He wanted to make a statement about who she was here with. But he thought she might find that too much for a 'just friends' relationship.  
  
"Sounds good." She smiled. She liked Leon and that was sure to piss Dom off. That thought made her smile more. Leon tossed the movie to Jesse to load up and sat down. Kat settled across him. The movie started and it was good. However, Kat was never much good at watching movies. She either got fidgety or she fell asleep. She was so comfortable that the later happened and she fell asleep with her legs draped over one arm of the chair, her back against the other arm, and her head on Leon's shoulder. Leon realized she was asleep and looked down at her. Mia noticed Kat just as the movie ended.  
  
"Aw that is so cute. Why don't you just carry her up to the spare room and let her sleep Leon?" Dom shot Mia a dirty look.  
  
"Naw, I'm gonna run her home. Her friends'd worry if she didn't come home." Mia nodded and Dom gave him a look like that was exactly why he didn't want her around. Leon carried Kat to his car and set her inside. He didn't want to wake her, but he didn't want to try to carry her home either. He started the car up and backed out of the drive. Kat woke up. 


	19. He asked me out!

Chapter 19 - He asked Me out!  
  
"Did I fall asleep? She asked in that I'm so not awake yet voice.  
  
"Naw, I beamed you out to the car." He grinned at her. "Yeah, you fell asleep, I'm driven' you home now." Leon answered as he put the car in gear.  
  
"Oh, you shoulda just woke me up. There's no need for you to drive me 4 houses down the road Leon."  
  
"I thought you might stay asleep and then I coulda just let one of your friends carry you to bed."  
  
"You thought I could sleep through hearing a skyline start up?"  
  
Leon chuckled. "I never thought of that." He pulled into her driveway. "Well, there you go anyway."  
  
"Thanks." Kat looked at Leon. "I had a nice time. I love the guys but sometimes it's nice to spend time with other people."  
  
"I know what you mean. Maybe if it's ok we could go to a movie or somethin' sometime. That way the evening doesn't haveta start with Dom and his attitude."  
  
"Leon, did you just ask me out?" Kat asked incredulously. She'd never been asked out before, unless you counted Sean.  
  
"Um, yeah, I guess I did." Leon rarely asked girls out; normally he just hooked up with one at a party after races. But he never figured if he did ask one out they'd act like this. He thought her reaction was along the lines of 'me date you, you gotta be kidden''. Then she answered.  
  
"Sure, that'd be cool. Just let me know when and we'll catch a movie or somethin'." She answered, still sort of surprised he wanted to take her out on a date.  
  
"Cool, I'll let you know." Leon answered and Kat climbed out of the car. Leon realized that she couldn't believe he'd asked her cause she hadn't thought he would like her like that. He drove home puzzled.  
  
Kat wandered into her house with a goofy smile on her face.  
  
"You have a good time kid?" Sean asked her.  
  
"Yeah, I did. He asked me out on a date! Like a real date. To go see a movie or somethin'. Not just to hang out." Her head moved back a little and she had a confused look on her face.  
  
"So, did you say yes or no?" Sean asked with a smile. He figured that Kat must think anyone asking her out was strange, and it really hadn't happened that often. But he also guessed she never knew the reason why she hadn't gotten asked out much in high school. It wasn't because no one wanted to date her, quite the opposite really. It was because a lot of the guys who had wanted to ask her out were assholes and the boys didn't approve of them, and then the ones they would have allowed to take her out were too scared of them to ask her anyway.  
  
"Yes, I think. We didn't pick a time yet. He's gonna let me know." She still looked puzzled.  
  
"Well, good. You should get out more. But why do ya look so messed up?"  
  
"Cause a guy asked me out. I don't get it. Why does he wanna date me? Guys have wanted to race me, have me work on their cars, teach them to race, and as is every woman's constant problem, guys have wanted to hook up wit me, but no guy has ever wanted to date me before. Well, 'cept you." She had little frown lines between her eyebrows, from her puzzled concentration on Sean. She hoped he'd be able to shed some light on this issue for her.  
  
"Kitten, guys have wanted to date you before. Most of 'em were idiots and we stopped 'em before they asked you because that was back in the day before you had the smarts for dealin' with 'em you have now. Then the ones that woulda asked that weren't idiots were scared of us just because of who we were. I guess it wasn't fair of us to keep you, goin' to ghetto schools and getting a rep based on ours wasn't fair to you." She impulsively hugged him.  
  
"You just did what any older brothers woulda done for their lil'sis with the idiots, and that same rep kept me safe in the hood at night. Besides, I had a great life in high school. I had lots of girls, we went out" Sean gave her a look, he hadn't known she had a fake id till grade 12 but she'd been going to clubs since grade 10, "to movies." She continued with a look up at his face from under her lashes, hoping he bought it. She could tell by the look on his face she wasn't that lucky. "I guess in a way I had group dates, just never a specific guy asking me out. I wouldn't change a thing about how my life has been since I moved here. Before that maybe but after that has been perfect. Plus I have a kinda date for Saturday to go to VooDoo with that guy Rome."  
  
"That guy you introduced us to at your work?"  
  
"That's him. I guess a lot of us are goin' but he asked me to show him where to go to dance and since I know the boy can move I thought that Voodoo was the best bet. I told him you guys'd wanna go and I know Brian and Mia wanna go. Proley Letty and Dom too so that Dom can continue to give me a hard time." She lost her train of thought as she moved on to the one that suddenly entered her head. "You know that asshole Dom accused me of moving here just because it was close to him? What an ego. Like I would move anywhere on account of him! And you can bet I told him that too."  
  
"Why would he care where you live?" Sean liked this guy Dom less and less everything he heard about him. "Is he gonna try shit wit you?"  
  
"I don't think so. He doesn't like me. I never really figured out why. Other then he's likely scared that I can beat him at racing, plus they did something really illegal a while ago and Brian got them out of it. But I think that Dom's scared that being around us will make people start asking questions."  
  
Sean seemed to accept that. She headed up to bed. She sat in her room thinking. Leon liked her. That was interesting. She figured he just saw her as one of the guys, like so many other people had. Like she was cool and good with cars so she was cool to hang out with. But to find out that maybe he liked her as a girl was making her giddy. She was very excited by this possibility. She knew she'd never fall asleep right away after figuring that out. She started to think about painting her room. She really wanted to paint it but she didn't know what color. She finally got herself calmed down enough that she figured she could sleep. She changed into her typical night attire of a camisole and boxers and crawled into bed.  
  
Saturday came and Rome came to the store to see Kat, to find out if she still wanted to head out to dance that night.  
  
"Hell Yeah I wanna go dance. I haven't been out in so long. I'll show you where to head out to."  
  
"Good." Rome smiled. "I guess we'll head down around 11:00?"  
  
"That sounds perfect. The guys are looken' forward to it. What about your friends Bri, any of them comin'?"  
  
"Oh no doubt. I think Dom wants to try to figure you out so I bet he'll wanna go. And if he's goin' then Letty's goin. And if I go, Mia'll wanna. I know Leon'll wanna go cause you are." Kat gave Brian a dirty look.  
  
"Well, like I said the more the merrier when you go dance. What ever people from your crowd wanna come, have 'em at my house at 10:15, Kay?"  
  
"Sure. We'll be there." Brian answered.  
  
"Wouldn't miss it." Rome added.  
  
"Ok, but be ready to move. Voodoo is no square dance. I hope your boys can keep up." Kat teased Rome. "I know you got moves but I'm not sure 'bout Brian and the rest of the whitebread squad." She winked at Rome.  
  
"Hey, I can dance." Brian interjected. "I can't speak for the rest of my team. Just cause I can't move all over a girl like we're.well.you know.on the dance floor doesn't mean I can't dance."  
  
"You're right Bri, it just means you can't dance at Voodoo, but you'll do your best. I'll try to give you some pointers." She stuck her tongue out at Brian.  
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
"What are you doing talking about going out to a club anyway Kat? Aren't you 19? Did you become 21 overnight?" Harry broke in.  
  
"No, but I been goin' to this club weekends since I moved here.I'm not stoppin' now. I'm closer to 21 now then I was then."  
  
"Well, just be careful." Harry told Kat.  
  
"Always." She smiled. "Well, I'm outa here. I gotta go get ready."  
  
"But we're not leaving for the club for another 4 hours." Brian said. And he thought Mia took a long time to get ready.  
  
"I should have enough time. See you later." With that she ran out of the store and tore off home in her car.  
  
"The way that girl drives, we're gonna be scraping her off Dom's car the first time she races him." Harry speculated with a sigh.  
  
"Why do you say that, Harry?" Brian asked, frowning.  
  
"Cause her motto seems to be win at whatever or die trying. She does everything to extremes."  
  
Brian nodded, that was Kat. It might just crush her not to beat Dom. And Brian didn't think she could beat Dom. "Yeah, but it sure makes it interesting to be around her." Brian added.  
  
"True 'dat." Rome added.  
  
"But if Dom and Kat crash together it'll be the other way around. That skyline of hers is like a fricken tank. She'll crush Dom's RX-7 like a tin can if they crash. Dom's car doesn't even have a roll cage. Her skyline outweighs his car by a good few hundred pounds, has a much longer hood, and is designed to be a race car. Dom's car is light, small, and designed to be a sports car." Brian looked worried.  
  
"I never even thought of that. We'll just have to hope they never bump heads on the streets then." Harry said.  
  
"Fat chance. She can't wait for her shot at him. She's so convinced she can kick his ass." Brian looked even more concerned.  
  
"Well, we'll just have to school 'em first on what would happen if they screwed up won't we?" Harry said. Brain turned to his friend with an after though.  
  
"You don't have ideas about Kat do you Rome? Cause I think Leon likes her and she likes Leon. Don't forget that." Brian stated.  
  
"Well, if she likes Leon then he has nothin' to worry about right?" Rome asked with a cocky smile.  
  
"Right, but I'm just sayin'."  
  
"I get you Bri. When you off?" Rome changed the subject.  
  
Brian looked at Harry. "Go home Brian. Take that pretty little Italian girl you love out to dinner before you take her dancing." Being Italian Harry was kind of partial to them.  
  
"Thanks Harry, you're the best." Brian exclaimed and he and Rome headed home. Brian did take Mia out to dinner then they all started to get ready to head out.  
  
Kat went home and called her friend Nikki.  
  
"Hey Nikki, what's up?" Kat asked after her friend said hello.  
  
"Kat! How you been? I haven't heard from you in months."  
  
"I know. I know. I had a wreck then we moved an shit. It's been a hell of a 6 months. So what you doin' tonight?"  
  
"Nothin' girl, nothin's goin' on."  
  
"Yeah? Wanna hit Voodoo with me'n the guys and some new people I met at my new job?"  
  
"Hell yeah. When have I ever said no to Voodoo?"  
  
"Never. So, come do my braids before we head out?"  
  
"Kaaaaaaaatttttttt. You know how you hate havin' your braids done. You always complain 'bout how it hurts an shit."  
  
"I know Nikki but I can't go to Voodoo without my cornrows and I can't do 'em like you can."  
  
"Shit girl, where did ya move to?" Nikki gave in with a sigh.  
  
"I'll come get you. See you in 20, Kay?"  
  
"Sure. See ya." They hung up and Kat ran out to her car and went to get her friend.  
  
"OW." Kat exclaimed about an hour later as Nikki parted her hair at the roots to put the braids in across Kat's head. She was leaving the hair loose in the back but using the braids to do it flat across the top of Kat's head. She did them in kind of an angled pattern, not just straight from back to front.  
  
"Damn girl, why do you wanna go through this every time? You always end up grumpy and mad at me over it."  
  
"I'm never mad at you Nik, just in pain."  
  
"So why not just wear it down then?"  
  
"You've seen how it is."  
  
"I got ya." Nikki had seen how Kat's hair ended up if it wasn't done up somehow and Kat went dancing. It wasn't pretty. But they were finally done and Kat was happy with the look. It emphasized her feline eyes and petite face. It made her think of the first time she'd ever gone to Voodoo.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
Kat finally had a boyfriend! She didn't know if going out with Sean was a good idea or not but he'd asked her and since she already loved him she figured it was the next step. They were going out to a club tonight, this new club that Sean'd heard about. She called her best friend Nikki to come help her get ready.  
  
Kat had always hated her hair, it was so long and it was wild, it wouldn't ever do anything she wanted it to. Nikki had this bright idea to do it in cornrows to keep it off her face and Nikki was good at doing hair. Nikki did the braids and it hurt like hell.  
  
Kat complained the whole time but the end result was awesome and Kat had never gone out without having Nikki do her hair like this again. She'd had a good time with Sean, but even at 16 she knew there was some sort of spark missing from their relationship.  
  
But even after they decided that they didn't make a good couple they still hit Voodoo together most weekends. Sometimes it was just Kat and Nikki, sometimes some of the guys came but always Nikki did Kat's hair and Kat complained. It was just the way it was. It wasn't the weekend without having Nikki do her hair, talkin' girl talk and goin' to Voodoo. It was like tradition.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
She snapped back to the present. Now she just had to pick out clothes to wear. She picked out black leather knee boots, a short black mini that rode low on her hips and only went a few inches below her butt, a black thong with rhinestones on the hip straps and a rhinestone heart on the triangle on the back that showed some when her hip movements from dancing lowered her skirt even further on her hips. She picked out a tiger print top. It was cut to about 3 inches above her bellybutton but had a high neckline. Till she turned around and you saw the only thing holding it on was a string at the neck and a string across the back. She knew she wasn't wearing much but Voodoo was that kinda club. Nikki wasn't wearing any more then Kat. The girls ran downstairs.  
  
Stacy gave Nikki a long look. There was history there but Kat hoped that they didn't go on about it tonight. They'd dated a long time ago. Just as the girls arrived downstairs the door bell rang. Kale opened the door and there was Rome.  
  
"Rome. How's it goin?" Kat asked him as he and the rest of Brian's team filed in.  
  
"Good girl. Damn you look hot."  
  
"Thanks." She clearly didn't believe Rome. She dressed like she did because everyone else did, not because she knew she was sexy or to show off. Kat looked over the rest of the Torretto team. Dom looked uncomfortable. Letty was studying Kat's outfit, not that Letty was wearing much more. Brian and Mia were much more conservatively dressed. Mia couldn't believe how Kat and her friend Nikki were dressed. Leon was no where to be seen. Kat tried not to let on how disappointed she was. Brian must've sensed it because he whispered to her,  
  
"He'll be around later. He said he doesn't like to go to clubs but I told him where it was. He'll show up."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." She whispered back.  
  
Brian just grinned at her. "Are we all ready then?" Everyone nodded so they called two cabs, crammed in and headed down to the club. They walked in and all the staff started greeting Kat and hugging her. It made Dom even more uncomfortable to realize this was her turf. These big men were all on Kat's side. No one but Letty and Brian had his back in here. He was gonna have to watch his step. He caught the look that Sean was giving him. Yep, he'd have to watch his every step here. They all went and sat down, but for Kat who went to get a drink right away.  
  
She stood at the bar for a full minute in the crowd before she got impatient.  
  
AN: as always people read and review. :) 


	20. The Danger Of Dancing

Chapter 20 - The Danger of Dancing  
  
AN: Thanks to all who reviewed, a few more would be nice. :) Which is a nice way of saying why didn't chapter 19 get any reviews? Please review. It takes a second and the story will be killed off on this site if I figure no one's reading it. So if you really want to know how it's going to go then leave a review. On to the story.  
  
"Yo." No response from the bartender. "Hey." Still nothing. "Bro. Who do I haveta do to get a drink?" Other guys around the bar looked at her but still no answer, the bartender didn't even look up. She yelled. "Hey Monte. Nigga, get me a drink." The huge bartender looked up with an evil look for whoever dared to talk to him like that. Dom figured Kat was in for it. He hardly remembered not to smile in pleasure.  
  
The huge man walked over to Kat, smiled down at her and promptly hauled her over the bar on to the other side. "Work for it first Kitten." She grinned back at him and started taking orders. She was twirling the bottles; she definitely knew what she was doing behind the bar. Most guys that bought a drink for themselves bought her one too. That was how she still came out and got drunk when they had no money. If she worked for Monte behind the bar for awhile enough guys bought her drinks to get her loaded. Dom couldn't believe it. Not only was she in the club, for free, she called the bartender names and he put her behind the counter and got her to wait on customers. And she wasn't even going to be old enough to be here for two more years. She was waiting on people as Leon arrived, laughing and chatting to people as she waited on them.  
  
She was the most beautiful girl in the whole place, and if he was right, and he thought he was, she didn't even have a clue. She no doubt thought she was 'not ugly'. Leon figured she saw herself as a tomboy and figured everyone else did too. But Leon could see the looks that these guys were giving her as she made their drinks and drank the ones they bought for her. There was lust on the face of more then a few of them. Plus she was so honest and open. She wasn't acting, she was just having a good time.  
  
He hadn't been planning on coming. This was not his scene. But the urge to see Kat was stronger then his aversion to clubs. He spotted the rest of his team and hers right away. He walked up to them and sat down in the only open seat between Brian and Sean.  
  
"She's working at the bar for her friend Monte for a few." Sean told him. Leon looked up in shock. He guessed that Sean must approve of him, the other man almost seemed to be encouraging his attention on Kat. Leon nodded and stood up. He walked up to the bar. He watched the guys buy Kat drinks. He turned his back to the bar to think for a second. He heard a female voice call out.  
  
"Hey, jersey boy, this is a no parking zone, you need to buy a drink or move on. See the sign?" They must be talking to him, the voice was right behind him and he was wearing a jersey. Leon turned around to see Kat pointing at a sign that said 'Skyline parking only.' She smiled when she saw who it was.  
  
"Leon! I guess you're allowed to park here. I bought the sign figuring it would let me stand here and no one else."  
  
"Well, I guess you never planned on me." He stated with a grin.  
  
"True dat." He'd never know the half of it. "Wanna drink?"  
  
"You got Corona?" He asked her. She reached into a fridge and handed him the drink. "how much?" He asked.  
  
"On the house. I work for free so I can do that every once in awhile. So I thought you weren't comin'?"  
  
"I got bored at home alone. How long you stayin' back there?" Monte came over and whispered to Kat. He told her the next song was the one she was waiting for.  
  
"Till now. Thanks Monte." The bartender lifted Kat on top of the bar. "Help me down Le? I'm pretty trashed." Leon held a hand out to her, saw that would not be enough help and grasped her around the waist then lowered her to the ground.  
  
"It's only 11:30, how are you wasted already?"  
  
"Cause I've been pounding shots since we got here."  
  
"Kitten, that's not a great idea."  
  
"I'll pay for it tomorrow. Let's dance. I happen to know the next song is gonna be a good one."  
  
"I don't know. I'm not a big dancer."  
  
"Oh, it's easy, just follow me, this is a sorta slow song anyway." She dragged him out to the dance floor just as the song ended. "Just hold my hips and follow my lead, it'll be fine." She told him as the pulsing sounds of Voodoo by Ashanti filled the club. It wasn't an all out bootie shake song so she figured even if Leon wasn't much of a dancer he should be able to follow along with her.  
  
He had his hands on her still but they'd moved down toward her butt a little more. Kat had wrapped her right arm around Leon's neck and had her other one over her head as she undulated against Leon. He moved his hands up higher to rub her bare back. He was shocked at how little she was wearing, even though she had more on then most of the racer chasers he saw. Their eyes locked and he felt a spark so intense it shocked him to the core.  
  
Dom and Letty were dancing too, and while they were good dancers, Dom more so then Letty, Dom knew they were nothing compared to how Kat was dancing with Leon. And since they all knew Leon wasn't much of a dancer, that meant it was Kat who could dance. They also looked very intense. Dom knew his secret hope that Leon would forget about the girl and move on was not a likely possibility.  
  
"Do you feel it Kitten?" Where had that come from? But he did want to know if he was alone in this feeling, and she just wanted to dance, or if she felt it too.  
  
"Feel what? Do you mean the.the.flutter.burning in the bottom of my tummy when we're together like this? Oh yeah I feel it. Do you?" She touched the offending part of her tummy right above the waist of her skirt.  
  
Leon couldn't believe how honest she was, and how innocent it came out. It shoulda been a very adult, experienced thing to say, but Kat said it with so much innocence, but with a total lack of artifice he knew she was telling him the truth. "Oh I feel it too girl." And it scared the hell out of him. And he wanted to kiss her. Not the kind of thanks for the dance kiss that could easily be explained but the long deep kind of kiss that burned like fire and made you want the other person with a passion that burned till it either consumed you both or drove you crazy.  
  
She parted her lips and looked at him like she wanted that too. But Leon wasn't going to do it on the dance floor in front of his whole team and all her friends. The song ended.  
  
"I need some air Kitten, wanna come outside with me for a minute?"  
  
"Sure, it's hot in here. One sec while I just tell Sean." She whispered to Sean they were just going for a quick walk around the building. Sean nodded then went to dance with a girl he saw. Stacy and Kale and Rome were all dancing. She looked at the remainder of Team Torreto. "Go dance people, have fun. No one bites and the guys'll look out for ya'll. We won't be long." Leon wrapped his arm around her waist and led her outside.  
  
"I wanted to do this to you for so long." As soon as they were out of sight Leon had Kat backed up to the building and he was kissing her like he hadn't kissed a woman in years. Kat was responding to him totally, kissing him back. She had her arms around his neck tight and her body was pressed tightly against his. Leon couldn't remember the last girl he'd ever felt like this about, like he had to have her or die.  
  
Kat didn't understand what she was feeling. She'd never felt like this before. Never been kissed like this before either. Leon broke off the kiss and started to nibble down her neck. She moaned out "Leeeeee" and didn't finish his name. It was the sexiest thing a woman ever said to him. He licked his way up to her ear and gently bit her earlobe. She was panting in his ear. She'd been a willing participant if a passive one up to that point but when he released her ear she pulled him back to her and kissed him hard as he'd kissed her. Leon realized that if they didn't stop he was going to take her against the back of the club. This wouldn't have been a problem for him with any other girl, but for some reason with Kat, much as he wanted her he didn't want to have their first time, if they were going to have one, be against a building in an alley while Kat was pretty well baked.  
  
"We should go back." He told her after he broke the kiss off for the second time.  
  
"I don't wanna." She told him and rubbed against him like her namesake feline.  
  
"Kat." He groaned out. "If we don't go back, do you know what's gonna happen right here against this building?"  
  
"No," She said with a very suggestive smile. "Why don't you show me?" That made him laugh. She really didn't know, she had ideas, and she was more then ready to have them confirmed.  
  
"Come on back in Kat. We'll take a rain check for now. Let's go have another dance." She followed him back into the club pouting but she forgot about that as they danced once again to another song. Then Leon needed to take a break and Kat danced to a few songs with her guys and Rome. She danced with them totally different then she danced with him. It was faster and involved more of what Kat called booty shake. He wondered where she got the stamina to dance nonstop like she did. She had this sweaty sheen to her that was an incredible turn on. Leon didn't like the way Brian's boy was looking at Kat either. Kat left the floor as he thought that.  
  
Leon watched Kat go get two more drinks, a Rev for herself and a Corona he assumed was for him. She'd thought of him. Leon was very happy over that one little gesture. If it was for him.  
  
Kat walked up to the table and ignored the empty chair on the other side of the table from Leon, over beside Dom. Since there were no chairs she sat down in his lap and gave him the beer.  
  
"Hey baby girl. You have'n a good time?" He asked her.  
  
She whispered something in his ear that made him blush. Dom frowned. He figured he had a fair idea what went on when they disappeared together. And he wasn't happy about it. Leon whispered something back to her and her answer was "Promise?" to which Leon nodded and smiled. She sat there for awhile playing with Leon's hair which was driving him insane.  
  
They all partied and had a good time. Kat hadn't seen Stacy, Kale, Nikki or surprise of surprises Sean for some time. She figured they'd gotten invited out after and they'd gone off. They'd had that plan from the get go but it was strange for Sean to disappear. She figured she'd catch a cab home. The club was closing down. One of the bouncers came up to them and asked Kat if she was ok, since he didn't recognize the people she was with and asked her if she needed a ride.  
  
She told him she was fine, and she introduced the Torreto team. She was about to tell Brody she would love a drive when Leon told her he'd take her home. He'd only had two beer, well spaced out so he was fine. Kat knew he'd be ok to drive and leaving with him sounded good. She told Brody she was fine for a ride. She was still sitting in Leon's lap. If he'd had more to drink Leon knew he'd be all over her right now. He was glad he was sober in one way and wished he'd had more to drink another. But then he wouldn't leave his car here overnight so someone had to drive it home and he'd known all along that it wasn't likely that anyone else on his team would stay sober, but maybe Mia. And he wouldn't let Mia drive his car.  
  
"You ready then baby girl?" Leon asked Kat.  
  
"Sure, if you are." She answered.  
  
"I'll take you all home if you wanna try to cram in the back. If Letty sits on your lap Dom and Mia sits on yours Brian then Kat and Vince share the front seat we'll all fit."  
  
The team all nodded and headed out to Leon's car. It took some doing because of the roll cage but they all got in. It was a tight fit. They drove to Dom's house and they all piled out of the car. Dom looked at Leon, but he was still looking at Kat.  
  
"You wanna go for a drive Kitten?" Leon asked Kat.  
  
"Sure. That sounds good." She slid back into his car and rolled down the window. "See you later Dawg." Leon said to the team in general and slid back into his car. He fired it up and squealed off down the street. "Where do ya wanna go?"  
  
Kat had an idea that was playing with but she wasn't going to give him the exact details yet. "I wanna go downtown and race the little ricers, school 'em some. Show me how you drive." Sounded good to Leon. He sped off for downtown LA. It wasn't hard to find a person who wanted to go. They stopped at a red light just as it turned and in no time a riced out civic pulled up beside them. The Civic revved it's engine and a tinny little whine emanated from it's pathetic 4 cylinder engine. Leon revved his engine and a small flame streaked out of his exhaust and his car growled with power barely under control. "He has no idea what's about happen to 'im." Kat laughed and Leon smiled his agreement. While they waited for the light to come green Kat asked Leon.  
  
"So is it the speed that draws you to street racing or the danger of it or maybe even the chance of getting caught? Maybe all of the above?"  
  
"All of it I think, why?"  
  
"Wanna make this race even more interesting then?"  
  
Leon had no idea what she meant but was intrigued by the idea. "Sure."  
  
She undid her harness and slid into his lap, facing him, making sure that he could still see and reach the shifter and wheel and peddles. She nibbled on his neck the way he'd done to her. "This'll increase the danger, now kick that punk's ass." The punk was busy watching this go down through the still open window.  
  
Leon was surprised but totally intrigued to know what she was gonna do to him. The light turned green and he took off like a shot. The other car didn't even keep up with him for a second. He got in front of the civic in like 2 seconds and the screaming noise of the skyline's tires on the asphalt and the straight pipe exhaust almost drowned out his labored breathing while Kat did very naughty things to his neck and ears. It didn't help he could feel her body pressed against his between him and the wheel. He had to be going 130, he couldn't see the speedo. He was in a 50 zone. The kid in the civic was long gone. He saw the flashing red and blue lights that every racer hated to see in his rear view, some distance off.  
  
"Shit girl, we got cops." Leon said as he sped up and changed lanes. He had to find a place to hide the car and cut the engine while they couldn't see him. He thought he knew of a place just ahead.  
  
"Oh, how exciting." Kat sighed and snuggled closer.  
  
"Hold on to me girl, this is gonna be one hell of a turn."  
  
"I'ma never let go." She sighed and he wasn't sure he even heard her.  
  
He cut the wheel, sailed through the ditch and into the woods on a service road that hadn't been used in some time, he turned a corner and cut everything quickly. If he'd done it fast enough the cops would have no idea where he was, they'd go chasing him down the highway for some time before they realized they lost him. There was no moon out that night which was also on his side. But he was in the total darkness with a very warm, very willing female pressed against him. A female he was so attracted to it scared him.  
  
"You ok Kat?" He asked her.  
  
"Yep. We loose 'em?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"So how long we gonna sit here?"  
  
"Oh 20 minutes or so."  
  
"OK." She answered and kissed him. Leon was glad he wasn't imagining this spark between them and that was his last conscious though before he didn't think of anything but the girl he was with. They made out for the whole 20 minutes but Leon broke it off. He didn't know what was causing the moral attack but with Kat their first time was not gonna be in a car either. She deserved better then some quickie. She wasn't a skank and he didn't want to treat her like one.  
  
"Ok girl. Let's get you home." She went to slide over into her own seat. "No, stay there." He rolled up the windows. "Now no one can see in anyway and I like how you feel there." He wasn't ready to lose the closeness of having her there against him. He sped off into the night.  
  
"OK. I told you I wasn't ever lettin' go." She murmured into his neck and then wrapped her arms around his neck. He drove home with her snuggled up to him like that.  
  
"Kitten, you're home. Baby? You're home." Leon was talking softly to her. There were no lights on so he figured they were the first ones home or all her friends were in bed. They were only gone about 45 minutes all together though so it seemed to make more sense that no one was home.  
  
"Umm." Was all he got out of her and he realized she was asleep and totally out of it. Probably sobering up and coming down off her adrenalin. He sighed and looked in her little purse. She only had one key in there. He got it out and opened his door. He was gonna carry her in and just leave her on the couch. As he stood up out of the car and kicked the door closed she instinctively wrapped her arms tight around his neck and her legs around his waist. It at least made her easy to carry, even if it did make him wanna take her to bed, now. He brought her into her house.  
  
"Where are we?" She asked and Leon figured she might be asking in her sleep. She sounded like it.  
  
"Your house. I brought you home Kat."  
  
"I'm asleep." She said. It brought a smile to his face.  
  
"I know. Where's your room, and I'll put you to bed."  
  
"Upstairs, first door on the left." She mumbled, still talking to him in her sleep. Leon headed up the stairs and into her room. It was definitely her room. It smelled like her.  
  
He lay her on the bed. She didn't let go of his neck or waist. "Kay baby girl, here you are. Sleep tight." Since he was still bent over her he kissed her forehead, then tried to stand up to leave her to sleep.  
  
"No Le, you can't leave me, you gotta stay here." She was gonna regret this tomorrow, even in her drunk state she knew she was going to be embarrassed about some of the stuff she'd said.  
  
"Kiiitttteeennn." He drawled out. He didn't trust himself to just stay and sleep in this bed with her.  
  
"PPLLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSEEE? The guys aren't home and I can't remember the last time I had to sleep in an empty house. I'll be scared." No way he could resist that plea.  
  
"OK." At his agreement she let him go. He stood up and stripped to his boxers. He wasn't sleeping in his jeans that was for sure, when his nice comfy room with his own bed where he could sleep in the raw like he always did was right across the street. "Aren't you gonna change into your night cloths Kat?"  
  
"Nope, too tired." She mumbled and rolled over on her side. He unzipped her skirt and took her shoes off. Then he slid the skirt down and off her legs. He was not quite prepared for the briefness of her underwear. He figured she was fine with the rest of her cloths on, her top was just a front and two little strings after all. He didn't figure she could have anything on under it and he wasn't finding out.  
  
Kat was so baked, she only wanted to sleep. She curled up on her side and pulled a pillow under her head. Then she felt Leon's weight dip the other side of the bed. She instinctively fit herself against his side with her head on his shoulder. Leon sighed and pulled the covers up over them. At least he'd had the foresight to lock her door and she had her own bathroom. But he was dead sober and more turned on then he could remember in the recent and not so recent past. He sighed again, kissed her forehead and went to sleep. Even the state he was in couldn't disguise the fact that Kat felt right curled up against him. He never slept with girls, he just slept with them, then they went home or he did, depending on the situation. Waking up in the same bed as Kat was gonna be a first for him.  
  
Dom watched from his window as Leon carried Kat into her house. He didn't miss the fact that she'd already been on Leon's side of the car. Of course the girl had been wasted and she might have passed out in the car. But that still didn't explain how she would've ended up in Leon's lap in the car. Dom had to hand one thing to Kat. If he'd drank what she did, he wouldn't have been able to function at all. He'd have been so fucked up. Kat had been very noticeably drunk, but she'd been far from on her ass. Dom watched her house for 20 minutes but Leon never came out of her house. Then Letty got out of the shower and he had to stop watching. Damn that Leon. Dom told him he couldn't just sleep with Kat and Leon had told him he had no interest in her that way. So much for that idea.  
  
Kat woke up at 4 am sick as a dog. She jumped out of bed and ran for the bathroom. She was violently ill. She'd forgotten to eat supper before she went out so all that liquor had hit her system like a ton of bricks. Now she was more then paying for it. She was sick again and then she realized she had been in a cold sweat in bed and her top was soaked. She was really still far from sober, she'd only been asleep for an hour and a half. She took her top off. Then she got sick again but there was nothing left in her tummy at all. She was so cold and weak. She couldn't get back up from her kneeling position on the floor at all, she tried and fell down. She decided, in her state, that it made more sense to just sleep on the bathroom floor since she was just gonna be sick again anyway. Using that logic she curled in on herself on the bathroom floor and passed out more then fell asleep. The tile floor was so cold and she was already cold and clammy.  
  
Leon heard a crash and it woke him up. It took him a second to remember where he was. Once he remembered what had happened he sat up and realized Kat was not in bed anymore. He quickly headed to the bathroom. Kat was lying on the floor of her bathroom asleep and shaking. Leon kneeled behind her and shook her shoulder gently. "Kitten? You ok?" She only moaned softly in answer. Leon realized how cold her skin felt and how much she was shaking. "Kitten, you need to answer me. Are you ok?"  
  
"YYYeeessss." She stammered out through her chattering teeth.  
  
"You little Liar." Leon answered her back. "Where did your shirt go?"  
  
"It was soaked." She was still forcing the words out while shaking and shivering.  
  
"Did you get sick?"  
  
"Yeah." She said in a small voice.  
  
"Come on, you need to be back in bed." With that he scooped her up and carried her back to her room. She was so light, and she didn't even bother to wrap her arms around his neck, she just kinda flopped in his arms. He lay her on the bed then looked till he found her underwear drawer and took what he assumed was a night shirt out of it. He pulled it over her head and crawled back into bed with her. He'd seen some pretty drunk people but he was really worried about Kat. She wasn't asleep but she wasn't awake either, she was kinda in some sort of stupor he figured. She was still shaking and shivering. "You ever been this sick before?"  
  
"Nooooo." She moaned.  
  
"I think we should take you to the hospital." Leon was getting more and more worried.  
  
"Noooo."  
  
*Flashback*  
  
They were sticking her with needles again. Would they ever stop poking and prodding her. She just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. She was both in a great deal of pain and embarrassed.  
  
She had two IV's already and she'd had stitches too. That had hurt like hell. She couldn't believe that she'd done something so stupid. She'd been in the hospital for weeks and the staff watched her like a hawk, even if they did take good care of her. She hated the hospital ever since.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
"No hospital."  
  
"Kat, you're really sick. How much did you drink?"  
  
"Too much. I don't remember. I hadn't been out in so long, I was having a great time and I just sorta kept drinking."  
  
"When did you eat last?"  
  
"Lunch, I ate lunch." She was breathing kinda funny.  
  
"Oh Kat." Leon couldn't believe this. She hadn't even eaten dinner. He'd watched her pound down at least 4 straight tequila plus whatever she'd had before he got there, two more tequila after she'd stopped bartending, plus rev. She'd had too much in other words and on an empty stomach too. But he couldn't make her go to the hospital. Well he could but she wouldn't be happy about it. He had an idea, he'd call Brian. Cops had to have lots of first aid training right?  
  
He dialed his own number.  
  
"Leon, who you callin'?" Kat asked him. She was only about a quarter conscious.  
  
"No one, try to stay awake though, Kay?"  
  
"Kay." She murmured as she started to drift off. Leon sighed in frustration and smiled at her need to please him even in this state. She said she'd do what he asked the promptly did the opposite. She was so much like a cat it wasn't funny.  
  
Dom answered on the 4th ring. "Who the hell is this and what the hell do you want? Do you know it's 4:30am?" Dom rasped.  
  
"Dawg, it's Leon. I need to talk to Brian. Like now." Dom came fully awake.  
  
"What's wrong Leon? What happened?"  
  
"It's Kat, she's really sick and I figure Brian knows enough about first aid to know if I should make her go to the hospital." Dom sighed.  
  
"I'll go get 'im." Dom walked up to the door of Mia's room. Much as he wanted to put a stop to it he knew that his baby sister and one of his best friends were sharing a bed in said sister's childhood room. He banged on the door. "Brian."  
  
Brian opened the door a crack scratching his chest. "What's up Bro? It's after 4."  
  
"I know, Leon needs your help on the phone. Here." With that Dom handed Brian the phone and headed back to his bed.  
  
"Leon, what's wrong?"  
  
"Um, well, Kat's really sick. She drank a lot Dawg, and she tells me now she hadn't had anythin' to eat since lunch. I counted like 6 tequila she had plus other stuff. She's kinda actin' funny."  
  
"Funny how?" Brian asked. He was concerned. That was a lot of liquor for anyone on an empty stomach let alone someone as small as Kat.  
  
"Well, she's kinda cold even though it's not cold in here. She was sick. She couldn't get back to her room from her own bathroom. She's shakin' and not really awake."  
  
"Is her skin pale or blue?"  
  
"Not really, just, what's that word man.Clammy."  
  
"Ok, is she breathing funny? Like slow and shallow, or does she take times where she doesn't breath for like 8 or more seconds?" Leon watched her for a second.  
  
"Well, yeah, she's kinda breathing slower then she would normally I think. I wanted to take her to a hospital but she wasn't hearin' it."  
  
"Did you ask her if she's ever reacted to drinking like this before?"  
  
"Yeah, and she said that she never did."  
  
"Well, I'd say you should take her to a hospital. But if she won't go then just keep her warm, make her drink water, lukewarm. If her breathing gets any worse, or you notice that she's blueish take her to the hospital right away. She should go now but she's so damn stubborn.Oh and wake her every hour if you can and if she ever doesn't wake up then get her to a hospital then too."  
  
"Thanks man."  
  
"No problem Dude, just try to make sure she's ok."  
  
"I will." Leon hung up and then looked at Kat. She was asleep. Or he hoped she was asleep not unconscious. "Kat, can you hear me?" He asked and shook her. Her eyes opened and she groaned.  
  
"Yeah, I hear you. I wanna sleep. Why are you being so mean? Keeping me awake." She mumbled out.  
  
"Ok then baby girl, go to sleep." He was glad she woke up. She fell back to sleep almost immediately. Leon pulled her closer, pulled the blankets back up over them both and went back to sleep himself, even though he tried to stay awake to wake her up again.  
  
He woke up around 7am and was again disorientated. He remembered everything and promptly checked Kat over. She was a better color and her breathing was deep and even now. He went and got her a glass of warmish water. He woke her up and she grumbled at him.  
  
"Drink this. It's water but it's kinda warm. Cold water's of limits for now." She tried to refuse the water but Leon made her drink it. She drank the whole water then fell back asleep against Leon. Leon also fell back asleep because he'd had one hell of a night.  
  
He woke up again and checked the clock. It was 2pm on Sunday afternoon. He realized that her guys were likely home and he knew panic. What if they thought he'd taken advantage of Kat while she was that out of it? Well, if they were home they'd seen his car long ago and there was nothing he could do about it now. Kat looked even better now then she had at 7 at least. He shook her awake.  
  
"Mornin' sunshine. Or should I say afternoon." He smiled at her. She was cute with her hair everywhere and that unfocused look in her eyes.  
  
"Ow my head." She answered, and blinked a few times, trying to focus.  
  
"You remember last night?" He asked her. Then he realized she might think he meant remember what they'd done.  
  
"Yeah, but it has this hazy quality to it." She held her head and moaned. Leon had had some hellish hangovers and he knew what she was going through. He went and got her some aspirin and more water. He made her take them and drink down all the water. "I'm so hungry. I'm never hungry after I drink."  
  
"Well, you told me last night you hadn't eaten since lunch time yesterday."  
  
"Oh yeah." She looked sheepish. "Thanks for staying Leon. And for taken' care a'me. I know it musta been a pain." She was embarrassed.  
  
"Naw, it wasn't a pain. I had fun, till you got sick. I never knew a chick as crazy as you." He smiled at her. "Get dressed and I'll take you to someplace that has all day breakfast." Her tummy growled. They both laughed.  
  
"Well, two things. I don't care what you saw last night, I'm not getting dressed in front of you. And two you need some clothes too. Not that I mind but the people outside might not be so easy goin'." Leon looked down at himself.  
  
"Yeah I guess I do. Why don't you get dressed in your bathroom?"  
  
"Now see, it's that kinda smarts I'm gonna keep you around for." She smiled and slowly walked to her closet. She pulled out a pair of yellow track pants then went to her dresser and took out a soft yellow tanktop and some clean underwear. She then walked very carefully into the bathroom and got ready. Leon got dressed in his same clothes while she was gone. She came out of the bathroom and walked up to him. "I'm ready."  
  
"You match my car." Leon chuckled.  
  
"I hope I look better then your car." She waited to see how he would handle that. His car was his baby after all but he'd called her baby girl all night.  
  
"Of course, you look better then my car in a different way." He said.  
  
"Very diplomatic Leon." She grinned. Leon knew he'd passed her little test.  
  
"Thanks. Am I likely to need to call Vince for an armed guard to get out of the house?"  
  
"Naw. Should be cool. Let's go." 


	21. A Battle is Won

Chapter 21 - A Battle is Won  
  
AN: Sorry for the delay again, see the newest chapter of RIDE for the full details. But anyway same story, read, review, enjoy. Thanks.  
  
They opened her door and Kat peeked out. The coast was clear. They walked down the stairs, Kat first then Leon behind her one step. At the bottom they had to walk past the living room. And there were the guys. All the guys. They all looked up when they heard Leon and Kat walk past.  
  
"Morning guys." Kat said nonchalantly and tried not to look guilty or embarrassed. Leon looked embarrassed enough for both of them. That made her smile. He was no doubt not used to getting caught sneaking out of the girls room after the 'big night'.  
  
"Morning Kitten." Sean answered her. "You have a good time last night?"  
  
"Yeah, till I got home and kept poor Leon here up all night making sure I didn't die. I drank way too much. I was sick as a dog. Leon wanted to take me to the hospital but I wouldn't go." Leon was very surprised she put that so well. It was sorta the truth but she made it sound like he did her a total favor.  
  
"Kitten, that was stupid. Well, thanks for taken care of her Dawg." Sean said to Leon. "Sometimes I forget just how young our Kitten is." Leon didn't know if now Sean was warning him off cause he thought Leon was too old for her, or trying to make a dig at Kat for not knowing her limits. He figured it was a dig at her when she stuck out her tongue at Sean.  
  
"No problem man. I didn't wanna leave her alone and we didn't know if anyone else was home." That should tell them he had respected their house and the fact that they might be asleep down the hall.  
  
Sean nodded. Leon was pretty sure he was making a dig at kitten for drinking too much.  
  
"Well, Leon's taken' me out to, well, brunch I guess, so I'll see you all later." The guys nodded and Kat and Leon walked out the door.  
  
"I like him." Kale said to the room in general.  
  
"Me too." Sean added. "He seems nice. I know he's been a playa but he seems like Kat might be that girl that makes him stop that."  
  
"Yeah, well he better if he gets with our Kitten. You know, like gets with her. If he hurts her I'll personally break his neck." Stacy added. The others nodded.  
  
"So, Leon, since you got to drive last night, can we take my car now?" She smiled at him hopefully.  
  
"You sure you feel up to it?" Leon would grant her almost any request when she smiled at him like that with about 6 inches of her flat, tan tummy driving him nuts.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"Ok then, let's take your car." Leon gave in, wondering what he was getting himself into. "Can you follow me home first so I can park my car at home?"  
  
"Sure." She waited till he had his car turned on then she started hers up and followed him down the drive and to his house. Leon parked his car and headed over to hers. Jesse leaned out the front door of the Toretto house.  
  
"Where you goin' Leon?"  
  
"Breakfast." Leon answered.  
  
Kat knew that the friendship between Leon and Jesse was stronger then what was normal between friends for some reason. She whispered up to Leon. "You wanna ask 'im to come with? I don't mind."  
  
Leon could tell she really didn't mind, and he knew that while Jesse loved the rest of the team, he was kind of Leon's responsibility. And he hadn't been spending as much time with Jesse lately.  
  
"Jess, you wanna come?"  
  
"Sure!" Jesse ran down to Kat's car and slid into the back. "This is a sweet car." He told Kat. He noted her dark shades. "Have a big night?" He asked her with a smile.  
  
"You don't even wanna know." She answered with a grimace and made a gagging face. Jesse and Leon laughed. Leon liked the easy way she had with Jesse.  
  
"So where we goin'?" Kat asked Leon.  
  
He gave her directions to this little diner type place he knew that had good food and served breakfast all day. If was also one of Jesse's favorite places to eat.  
  
"Sweet!" Jesse exclaimed when they pulled in. "I love this place."  
  
Leon just laughed and they piled out of the skyline. The wandered into the restaurant and sat down. A waitress gave them menus and they started to look them over. Kat read over the breakfast menu, it was what she wanted. The waitress came back and Leon ordered breakfast and Jesse ordered some sort of heart stopper double bacon cheeseburger and fries. The waitress looked at Kat. "And for the lady?" She said lady in a tone that implied she doubted very much that was what Kat was.  
  
"I'll have three eggs, over easy, bacon, sausage, toast, pancakes, lots of butter and strawberry jam. I don't suppose you have cherry coke? No? Then I'll have a large Pepsi to drink." Kat gave the woman a killer smile. "Thanks so much." If the woman wanted to be a bitch then Kat would just kill her with kindness.  
  
"How the hell do you stay so small if you eat like that?" Jesse asked Kat. She laughed.  
  
"I have a dancer's meta.Oh what's that word, for how your body uses energy?"  
  
"Metabolism?" Leon supplied.  
  
"Yeah, that's it. I have a dancer's metabolism. No matter what I eat I don't gain weight, and if I don't eat I look like some anorexic chick who doesn't feed herself." Kat said. "Plus, I forgot to eat yesterday and I danced all night long." She gave Leon a sly look and if she wasn't mistaken he turned somewhat red under his tan.  
  
Leon thanked god for Jesse's short attention span, he didn't pick up on a thing.  
  
"Well, we're the same way, ain't we Leon? We can eat all we want to and we don't gain any weight." Leon nodded again.  
  
"That's all those crazy big muscles you have." Kat said and laughed.  
  
"Hey, I'm wiry." Leon said, mock look of hurt on his face. ""Sides I was plenty strong to carry you around last night." Kat blushed. Jesse looked between them.  
  
"Hey, you gotta tell me that story, sounds very interesting. And I'm wiry too. But damn Leon, she can't weigh more'n 100 pounds. I wouldn't brag 'bout carrying her around." Kat laughed.  
  
"Yeah, wiry. That's what not built guys say to make themselves feel better about their small pec.s" She finished. The guys both groaned, they got her implied meaning. "Come to think about it, they say the reason why guys wanna have fast cars is to make up for the same thing, small pec.s. And I weight 105 thank you very much." She nearly fell off the booth seat and under the table she was laughing so hard.  
  
"So why would women drive fast cars then?" Leon asked her. "What are they trying to make up for?"  
  
"Nothing, women are perfect. We just drive fast cars to show you guys we can kick your ass at anything."  
  
"Well, in an R34 Skyline you likely can kick most guy's asses." Jesse added.  
  
"Jesse, I could kick any guy's ass in my eclipse too. I'm that good. When it comes to racing don't test my skills." She smiled.  
  
"I won't. I build 'em, I don't race 'em." Jesse was over what happened to him, but it had taught him he was the kind of guy who built the cars, worked on the cars, tuned the cars, and even kicked some ricer ass down town but he did not race in the big time. It wasn't for him.  
  
"But hey, you don't have to man, your mechanical skills are your meal ticket." Kat told him. "But I gotta race. I tried to stop after the accident; I figured it wasn't worth the risk. But every day my car was wrecked this little part of me died. I had to start working on the car again. Even then I told myself it was just because I loved the car and I may as well have it to drive. I told myself I was done racing. But every race that went by that I wasn't in made this panic feeling in my chest. I have to race. It's race or die for me. I have this competitive thing in me that just.I can't even explain it. If I hear tuner cars in the distance I get this feeling deep in my tummy that tells me I have to go find them and race them. I can't not. I have to race, I have to win." Leon and Jesse were both giving her their total attention. "But enough about me." She blushed a little at having made that expressive statement.  
  
"That's deep Kat." Jesse said. "And you kept my attention for the whole thing." He laughed.  
  
"Yeah, but she was talking about cars and racing so it doesn't count." Leon answered and Jesse stuck his tongue out at Leon.  
  
"What's the big deal about keeping your attention?" Kat asked.  
  
"I got that attention." He looked at Leon.  
  
"He's got ADD." Leon filled in.  
  
"Yeah, I got that shit." Jesse said. "I can't pay attention to stuff for too long before somethin' else takes my attention. But I like listenin' to you talk." Jesse smiled at her. Kat knew that he didn't have a crush on her, thank god, by the way he looked at her just then.  
  
"But that is deep Kat. Racings fun for me, I enjoy it, I'm fairly good at it, but it doesn't move me the way it moves you. I'm more then happy to sit out most races and man the scanner." Leon figured that Kat was the better racer out of him and her, he didn't know how he'd handle that if he was ever proved correct. She was as driven as Dominic. One of the reasons why he always went for racer chasers and not racer chicks was because he never had to worry about having his girl be better at cars then he was. Men did cars and sports, he didn't know if he could handle having his girl be a better racer then him. He resolved in that moment never to race Kat as long as he thought he wanted to be with her. "You're as race crazy as Dominic."  
  
"So, anyways guys, I've been wondering, are you two related?" Kat asked.  
  
"Yeah, Jesse's my little brother. Well, half brother. It's long and complicated."  
  
"Not really, if you know how to tell it." Jesse corrected Leon. "My mom and dad were having some troubles and my dad left for awhile. While he was gone away he met Leon's mom and they had Leon. But things didn't work out and my mom and dad got back together. Then they had me. Leon got a step dad who was a real asshole. His mom ran away and left him there so Leon ran away and came to live with us. My mom was dead by then. My dad, well, our dad, kept both of us from that point on here in Cali. I never knew Leon before then because he lived with his mom in New Mexico, but I knew I had an older brother. So when my dad got sent to jail for somethin' he didn't do he told Leon to take care of me and then while he was in Jail he met Dom. Dom was getting out really soon and Dad asked Dom to take us in and give us a job since we had no where else to go. Dom never told the rest of the team that though. They all think we showed up to a party once and just didn't leave. But really Dom's been lookin' out for us ever since. Well, lookin' out for me. Leon's always been able to take care of himself." Jesse finished.  
  
"Wow. I knew you two were related even though you don't look anything alike." Kat smiled.  
  
"Yeah, well, Dom 'n I are the same age so it wouldn't make much sense for him to take care'a me now would it." Leon asked with a grin.  
  
"When is this food gonna get here?" Kat asked as her tummy growled again. A minute later the waitress dropped off the food. The guys watched Kat start to eat the mountain of food they put in front of her. She ate it all.  
  
"Oh man, what'd you let me eat so much for?" She asked them as they went to leave.  
  
"You said you were hungry." Jesse answered simply. Leon insisted on paying for the bill and then they left the restaurant.  
  
"Oh man, I am so full." Kat moaned as she waddled toward her car. Leon and Jesse laughed. "Oh.Leon, you wanna drive home?" She asked. She was so full she felt sleepy. "I feel sleepy, I ate too much."  
  
"Sure." Leon laughed at how eager he sounded. He'd been itching to drive this beast since he saw it. Kat giggled at him.  
  
"You've been wanting to ask haven't ya?"  
  
"Yeah." He agreed, looking embarrassed. She tossed him the keys. Jesse slid in the back again and Kat got in on the left, leaving the right hand driver's seat for Leon.  
  
"You don't have to go straight home if you don't want to. You can take it for a bit of a tear if you want. You ever drift in a skyline?"  
  
"No, it's hard as hell to do." Leon answered.  
  
"Not in this beast. But you have to learn to drive with no it traction assist. Have you drifted in any car?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, I use to do it in a second gen. RX-7."  
  
"Oh, the FC's are the best for drifting aren't they. Don't you dare tell Dom I said that an RX-7 is good for anything though." Leon laughed at that. "But if you wanna try it with the Skyline take it to that little track and you can have a go with it." Leon nodded.  
  
They went to the little track and first Leon did a few laps with the car to get the feel of it and just because he loved how it drove. Then Kat showed him how to turn off the traction assist.  
  
"So that turns it into a purely rear wheel drive car." Kat said and Leon nodded his understanding. "When you drifted the Rex did you do it with the parking break or anything?" Leon looked at her like she was nuts.  
  
"No, I knew how to do it the right way." He looked at her like she should have known that. Jesse laughed.  
  
"OK, just checking. Now what you're gonna wanna do is go into the corner just a bit too fast, then when the tires start to chirp a bit speed up. You should feel the rear end start to arc across the track and the noise'll be horrible but you should, well, drift, like in your Rex. But you gotta keep the throttle open just right in the R34 or your just gonna do a power corner which is not true drifting." Leon nodded again. He gave it a few tries and he just couldn't get it to do it. He sighed in frustration.  
  
"Poor baby. You drive it so well, I don't know why he won't drift for you."  
  
"He?" Jesse asked.  
  
"Don't go there." Kat laughed. "Here, let me try it." Leon and Kat switched seats and Kat readjusted the seat for her shorter legs and height. "OK, here goes." She put the car in gear and started down the straight part of the track to get up speed. She started to take the corner about 10 miles faster then it should be done at. The tires squealed and she opened up the throttle a bit more. The car floated around the corner in a textbook drift. The noise was terrible but the feeling of it was incredible. She brought the car to a stop in the middle of the track. "Try it again." Leon groaned but got out of the car. He hated things he couldn't do. She was right to make him try it again. He knew how to drift, it was just the quirks of making this car do it that were getting to him.  
  
He got it that try. "There ya go!" Kat exclaimed. "I knew you could do it. I think you could make the skyline do anything for you."  
  
"It only took me 10 tries." Leon said sarcastically.  
  
"It took me days to learn." Kat told him honestly. "But if I'd had something lighter then this to do it in it might not have taken quite so long." They headed home. Leon drove.  
  
He pulled the car into Kat's driveway and cut the engine. They climbed out of the car.  
  
"So what'd ya think of my car?" Kat asked, purely to keep Leon around a bit longer, of course she knew what he though of the car.  
  
"It's a nice car. I might have to start savin' my money and upgrade mine to a v-spec. But damn I'd miss the little beast I have now." Leon laughed.  
  
"I know what you mean. Like I said, every day this car was all smashed up a little part of me died. Like I let him down by not fixing him." She smiled, slightly embarrassed. "I know it's just a car but I'm that attached to it ya know?"  
  
"I know exactly what ya mean." Leon answered. Dom came out onto his porch.  
  
"Leon, Jesse, where have you guys been?"  
  
"Lunch." Jesse yelled back.  
  
"Damn, Dom is getting on my nerves lately. He's not our dad for fuck's sake, he's our friend. It's like I have to account for every second of every day to 'im." Leon sighed.  
  
"That's my fault and I'm sorry. We shoulda known from the start that we couldn't be friends. He's never gonna accept it, it's just gonna ruin your relationship with him and I'm sorry." Kat sighed.  
  
"Well, last time I checked yeah he was my friend, but I'm also a grown man who can decide who he wants to have for friends. Dom's not tellin' me who I can and can't see." Leon growled.  
  
"Yeah, I love Dom like a brother but he's even getting' on my nerves. We have a dad, and while Dom looks out for us he don't have to run our lives. I'm 21 and Leon's 24, We don't need him to run our lives for us." Jesse frowned.  
  
"Well, he's been your friend for years and I don't want to be the reason that ya'll fight all the time. I can't pretend I'm not gonna race him, and likely beat him some day. It's just the way I am. I have this funny feeling Dom and I are far too much alike to ever be friends." Kat looked at Dom's house and saw he was walking their way. "Here comes trouble."  
  
"Mia wants to know if you two are gonna be home for supper." Dom said as he walked up. "She's havin' it at 8pm."  
  
"We should be hungry again by then." Jesse answered for both of them. Leon looked at Kat, who was inspecting her car.  
  
"So you let Leon drive your car huh?" Dom asked Kat. She jumped a bit at the sound of her name said in Dom's deep baritone. Dom was slightly ashamed of himself over that. She recovered quickly though.  
  
"Yeah, he wanted to and I was sleepy. Never a good thing to be while in control of a Skyline." Kat answered. Dom nodded.  
  
"Yeah and she let him run it on the track too, and drift in it." Jesse started to go on about all the cool stuff they had done in the skyline.  
  
"Drift?" Dom asked. He'd never really heard of it.  
  
"It's this relatively new thing to come out of Japan." Kat answered. "You run a car into a corner a bit too fast then when the ass starts to go sideways you speed up more and the car sorta swings around the corner. It's faster then slowing down and cornering the traditional way. It's a real rush."  
  
"Brian does that in the supra all the time. He uses the E-brake." Dom stated, serious.  
  
Leon and Kat burst out laughing. "No Dom, I'm not laughing at you. I'm sorry." Kat gasped. "I'm laughing at Bri." Leon was also almost doubled over laughing. "That's a kiddie trick. Those who can, drift. Those who can't use the e-brake and simulate it. I can show you some time, the real thing is nothing like an e-brake slide, it's like, well, floating. It's the only way to win races with corners. You'll kill your rear brakes using the e-brake all the time too."  
  
"Brian does go through a lot of rear break pads." Dom laughed at the fact that smooth Brian was doing something the cheater way.  
  
"Your car'd be super easy to drift I bet. The second gen. Rex's are super easy. They're so light. Leon could show you. The only reason why I let Leon try it was cause he'd done it before in a second gen. Rex. The skyline would make a beginner cry it's so picky."  
  
"My car's a third gen though." Dom told her.  
  
"I know, but they're pretty much the same under the fancier body and nicer interior." Kat answered.  
  
"For someone who called my car, and I quote, 'a rotary engine piece of crap' you seem to know an awful lot about 'em." Dom waited for how she would come back to that.  
  
"I know a lot about most imports. Would you like a rundown on the history of the Toyota Supra? How bout the 240sx? 300zx? Wanna know the strong points of an Eclipse spyder? While the Eagle Talon was still the same car or after the split? I just know cars." Kat laughed.  
  
"All you know is driving right?" Dom remembered back to the day they fought in his garage.  
  
"That and dancing." Leon answered for her. Kat gave him a strange look for a second, till she realized he just meant in the club. She was worried for a second he found out she use to dance ballet. She'd die of embarrassment if that got out.  
  
"Yeah, I been known to hit the club pretty hard." Kat laughed. Sean came out onto the doorstep of their house.  
  
"You ok Kitten?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm super." She called back. "But Leon let me eat so much I think I might bust." She laughed. Sean smiled. Everyone knew he really meant 'Is Dom bothering you' but no one brought attention to it.  
  
"Yeah, well, if you gained some weight you wouldn't die." Sean laughed.  
  
"We both know I could eat non stop from now into next week and I still wouldn't gain any weight." She giggled.  
  
"I know but you're fun to pick on." Sean came down into the yard to stand with the assembled group. "We were thinking of going to the beach Kitten, you comin'?"  
  
"Am I comin'? Are you crazy, of course I'm comin'. Let me go change." She looked at the members of the Torretto team. "Well guys, see ya around. Thanks for everything Leon. Jesse, check ya later." She ran into the house.  
  
"Yeah, well, see you guys." Sean said and followed Kitten into the house.  
  
"When she's not callin' me names you would think that girl was Mary Fucken' Sunshine." Dom said as they walked back to their own house.  
  
"Well, she's a nice girl." Leon said. Jesse echoed the sentiment.  
  
"I guess. I don't know, I think we're too much a like to get along." Dom said.  
  
Jesse and Leon laughed. "She said the same thing." Jesse told Dom.  
  
"She did?" Dom laughed. "Well I guess great minds think alike. Well, if you want to invite her to the Barbeque tonight Leon, I guess that would be ok. This once." Dom figured it wasn't fair to tell Leon he couldn't have the girl as a friend if he wanted to just because Dom didn't like her.  
  
"But she's goin' out with her friends and you told me not to bring her around." Leon said. Dom could detect the anger in Leon's voice. While he guessed the other man had reason to be angry it was still strange for Leon to let it show.  
  
"You told him he couldn't be friends with Kat Dom? That's stupid." Jesse said with his almost childlike logic. Dom sort of had to agree with Jesse in this case. It was not up to Dom to decide who his team could be friends with. When he really thought about it, it wasn't like any police were likely to connect the Tigers with robbed trucks. If they thought the Tigers had anything to do with the heists they would have picked them up for questioning long ago.  
  
"Yeah, I know it wasn't any of my business Jess, but I was worried that they'd bring cops around and, well, I don't like her so I didn't want her around. But it's not up to me to tell any of you who to be friends with." It was as close to sorry as they were going to get out of Dom.  
  
"Does that mean I can see her, see her? Just so you know I was gonna anyway if I end up wanting to but not having to fight you about it would be nice." Leon added to let Dom know that he wasn't going to let Dom run his life anyway.  
  
"Yeah, your life is your own Leon. I see that now." Dom sighed.  
  
"Good." Leon felt like he had won a major battle in his relationship with Dom. 


	22. Tasting Frustration

Chapter 22 - Tasting Frustration  
  
They heard Kat and her team get home from their back yard while they were getting ready to Barbeque. Leon went to ask her if she wanted to come over, Mia told him to invite her guys too since there was lots of food. As Leon walked over to their house Kat was unloading beach stuff from the trunk of her convertible. He walked up behind her just as she bent over to set a cooler on the ground. He tried to not be too obvious about enjoying the view. She was wearing boy cut bikini bottoms and her same stars and strips bikini top.  
  
She was carrying on and laughing with her friends. Her hair had that kinky, curly, messy look the salt air and water tended to give and she was a little pink, like she got a bit of burn. She looked so happy, Leon found himself hoping she still looked that happy when she saw that he was there to see her.  
  
"Hey Kat." He opened.  
  
"Leon!" She gave him a big smile. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon." The tone of her voice and the look on her face let him know it was a good surprise.  
  
"Yeah well, Mia wanted me to invite you to a BBQ at our place for supper. She always cooks for an army. She said to invite your whole team if you wanna come."  
  
"What do ya think guys? I don't really want to cook." Kat looked at the guys. "But we could go out if you want."  
  
"We can go hang out with the neighbours if you want Kitten. Sounds like it might be fun." Sean told her. "Just let us change and wash the sand off." Sean went into the house muttering about the god damn sand. Kat laughed.  
  
"I need to change too; you wanna come in and wait?" She asked Leon.  
  
He figured she wouldn't want to walk up to his house on her own. "Sure." They headed in.  
  
"Come on, you can wait in my room while I get ready in my bathroom." Kat told Leon and he followed her up to her room. He sat on her bed and she started to grab clothes. "So how dressy do you people get for backyard Barbeques?" Kat asked Leon.  
  
"What ya see is what ya get for me'n the other guys. Same goes for Letty. Mia always dresses up." Leon wanted to tell her to wear as little as she wanted. She went into the bathroom with something, he didn't catch what. He guessed he'd just need to wait and see.  
  
Kat took a shower but didn't wash her hair. She knew it looked good the way it was, all wavy and kinky from the salt air. She got out and put on the outfit she picked. It was a white pair of shorts and a red halter top. She was more covered up then she remembered being in the recent past unless she was on her way to work. She did some basic makeup and left the bathroom.  
  
"Well, will I do?" Kat asked, somewhat shyly. She'd never been invited out to dinner with someone else's friends before.  
  
"You look so good." Leon drawled and stood up. He wanted to touch her. He'd schooled himself that he only wanted to be her friend the whole time she'd been in the bathroom but he didn't know who he though he was kidding. Not himself and not anyone else it seemed. She blushed and walked closer. She was such an enigma. She could talk trash better'n anyone Leon knew and it didn't bother her at all. She could dance in the most suggestive ways to the most blatantly sexual music he'd ever heard, but pay her a simple compliment and she blushed. It only added credence to the theory Leon had that she had no idea she was pretty. She even did the other things she did because she thought she wasn't, cause she though she was just one of the guys.  
  
"Thanks. I'm ready if you are." She took a step toward the door.  
  
"There's just one thing before I'm ready to go." Leon told her.  
  
"What's that?" She had the cutest little furrows on her forehead while she tried to figure it out.  
  
"This." Leon pulled her against him and kissed her. She kissed him right back; her arms were around his neck in a half a second. After a minute he stopped, by some superhuman act of self control. "Now I'm ready to go." No he wasn't. He was ready to take her to bed, but not leave. He didn't want to pressure her and he wasn't sure where he a relationship between them going. He still had his arms around her waist; her arms were around his neck.  
  
"I'm not sure if I am." She licked her now slightly swollen lips. It almost made him start to kiss her again. Everyone would know what they'd been doing, Leon though, by the look of both their faces. "If I wasn't so hungry I'd be tempted to tie you up and keep you here." Kat looked shocked to have said that.  
  
"If my team and yours weren't expecting us I might haveta let you." Leon winked at her and she blushed deeper. "Let's go eat some'a Mia's cookin' before Vince beats us there and eats all the food." Kat threw back her head and laughed.  
  
"I'ma tell 'im you said that."  
  
"Go ahead, his stomach is legendary." Leon opened her bedroom door and motioned for her to proceed him out the door. She did so and they headed down the stairs.  
  
They had a remarkably good time at the Torreto's. Mia had made lots of food and even the guys seemed to fit in ok. Dom was still a bit frosty but Letty seemed to sense the bond between Kat and Leon and wasn't so uptight with Kat. It was very clear that Kat and Dom didn't get along so Letty figured she didn't have anything to worry about there. Letty was still mad Kat beat her at racing but then again Kat's car was serious business, it was designed to be a race car where as Letty's was a souped up sport compact.  
  
Kat insisted on helping Mia clean up and then Jesse said they were gonna watch a movie. Sean, Stacy and Kale all went home at that point because they had some sort of sporting event they couldn't miss coming on. The Torreto's were not big into sports like her guys. She decided to stay for the movie and she ended up in Leon's lap in the chair again. She wasn't complaining and neither was he.  
  
Leon had Kat curled up in his lap, he had his arms locked around her waist and her head was on his shoulder. She was still awake three quarters of the way through the movie, surprisingly. When the movie was over it was almost 12. Kat let go of his neck and stretched, arching her back and stretching her arms back over her head. It made her neck look incredibly long and even the presence of his whole team almost wasn't enough to make him not bite her on the neck. But he restrained himself. He caught Vince looking at her chest while she stretched and gave him a dirty look. Vince just grinned back. The arching motion she made brought her bottom in contact with a certain part of his anatomy and he almost groaned. If he didn't get her off his lap they were gonna be talking about the next thing that popped up.  
  
"You wanna go home or go for a drive first?" Leon asked Kat when she leaned back against him after her stretch.  
  
"Drive please." Kat answered quickly.  
  
"Let's go." Leon told her with a smile. He stood up before she could get up and went to carry her to the car.  
  
"Come on Le, set me down. I can walk." She giggled at him.  
  
"Ok then." He let her slide down to the ground. He gave her a knowing smile. They got in his car and sped off. "Where to?"  
  
"I don't care, just drive." Kat answered as she settled back into the comfy Momo seat of the skyline.  
  
"Yes ma'am." Leon laughed at the bossy tone of her voice, he knew it wasn't intentional, and headed the car to a little mostly private beach he knew of. He pulled the car off the road and down a smaller dirt road halfway down to the beach. "You wanna go for a bit of a walk?"  
  
"Sure." She answered him and started to take off her shoes. Leon got out of the car, kicked off his boots and walked around to her side of the car. He opened her door and offered his hand to help her out of the low slung sports car. She took his hand and carefully stood up. Leon didn't let go of her hand, he just started down the beach holding it.  
  
"This is a pretty beach. How'd you find it?" Kat hadn't ever been here before. It was sort of remote.  
  
"An old friend owns it and she won't mind us walking here." Leon answered.  
  
"An old, female friend eh?" Kat wondered what sort of friend. She was jealous of a woman she didn't know anything about because she held the position of old friend in Leon's life and Kat wasn't sure where she fit in at all.  
  
"Yeah, 'member that girl I told you Vince use to see? This is her beach."  
  
"Oh." Kat felt silly for having been jealous over Leon simply mentioning another girl. They were on the sandy part of the beach now, beside the water. Kat pulled her hand free. "Race ya." And with a laugh she was running off down the beach.  
  
"Fat chance." Leon called as he took off after her for all he was worth. He had to work but he caught her eventually. His legs were longer but Kat could really run. He finally got very close to her. She was running flat out. Leon would swear she wasn't even winded yet and he was reaching the end of his endurance. Where had she learned to run like this? Didn't she spend most of her time behind the wheel like him? He had to stop running soon, he was getting to the breaking point. He put on the last bit of speed he had and made a dive for her. He caught her around the waist and made a dive. He planned it so that she ended up on top of him and he took the brunt of the fall. The sand cushioned it and he was strong enough to take it. Plus he was so glad to have stopped running. He was sure out of shape from when he use to play basketball and do martial arts. He'd have to work on that. He still wondered where Kat kept in shape. "Caught ya." He sort of gasped out. She laughed down at him. He was right, she wasn't even winded. She was in great shape for a racecar driver.  
  
"So you did." It seemed to dawn on both of them at the same time that they were all alone at night on a private beach. And now thanks to Leon they were lying in the sand together. She laughed down into his face. He laughed back at her. He felt so free here with her right now. It was like there was no Dom, team rivalry, no reason why he shouldn't be with this woman. He ran a hand up her back and into her hair. With his hand on the back of her head he slowly brought their lips together and kissed her.  
  
Kat didn't know what was wrong with her. She couldn't resist him. Didn't know why she should. She was kissing him back and she felt his hands running down her back and then back up while they kissed. He released her mouth and kissed down her throat. He nipped her collar bone. She bit his neck and he growled at her. She slid her hands under the basketball jersey he had on.  
  
The touch of her small hands on his bare stomach was almost the breaking point for Leon. He almost rolled her under him and finished what they'd been working up to since they met right there on the beach in the sand. But instead he groaned and buried his face in her neck. Her hands were still under his shirt on his stomach.  
  
"Le? You ok." She sounded concerned.  
  
"I'm better'n ok Kitten, but if we don't stop I'm gonna.well, you must have a fair idea what I'm gonna do, right here. I want you so bad I can't take much morea this." Leon groaned again. "We should probably head for home."  
  
"If you're sure." Kat moved her hands down his sides and tickled him. He started to laugh and squirm around. He was quite ticklish on his ribs. He had tears running down his cheeks but he finally flipped her over and held her down. He got her back by tickling her. "I give. I give." She gasped out. He laughed and stopped. He stood up and helped her up. Then he crouched in front of her.  
  
"Get on and I'll piggyback you back to the car."  
  
"Ok." She agreed with a laugh. No one had piggybacked her in a long time. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and her legs around his waist. Leon mentally groaned. He hadn't thought this through when he asked her to do this he forgot her legs would be wrapped around his waist like this. They arrived back at the car and he set her on the hood of his car. He turned around and couldn't believe how sexy she looked, leaning back on her elbows on the hood of his car. He stood between her legs, leaned over her, his hands on either side of her head and kissed her again.  
  
Kat had never felt anything like the feelings she had for Leon. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She wanted to feel his bare skin, it was a desire she didn't understand but she couldn't help herself. She hauled his jersey up and Leon helped her take if off him with a growl low in his chest then he was kissing her again. He slid his hands under her shirt and up her back. He was about to start to work her shirt off her when he realized how close he was to taking her on the hood of his car like some desperate teenager. He didn't want to do that to Kat. She deserved better. He stopped kissing her with a groan and stood up, taking her with him, keeping her pressed to his chest. Kat didn't want him to stop.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked, nervously. She didn't know if she did something wrong. She hadn't wanted him to stop doing what he was doing.  
  
"Nothin' baby girl, but you deserve better then this." Leon panted out, his breathing harsh while he tried to get his hormones under control.  
  
"Better'n what?" She asked innocently. She didn't know what he meant.  
  
"Better'n a quickie on the hood of my car is what." He answered her honestly.  
  
"But I didn't want you to stop." She didn't care if he thought she deserved better or not, she wanted him now. She wasn't even sure what she wanted.  
  
"I didn't want to either but it just isn't right." If it hadn't gonna be their first time he would most likely have gone for it but it just didn't seem right. Not for a girl you saw yourself having a future with. She wasn't having it though. She was trailing her fingernails along his belly and ribs while she nibbled on his neck. She had quickly learned that drove him nuts. He groaned again. "Kat, stop baby. This isn't how it should be."  
  
"What'dya mean? I want you, you want me," She could tell from the way they were pressed together, she might be pretty innocent of all this sex stuff but even she knew what THAT was, "I don't see the problem, or what isn't right."  
  
"I just don't want to have the first time we hook up be rushed in the middle of the outdoors on the hood of a car Kitten. I'd rather wait till we can have all night to play in my nice comfy bed." He leaned back and smiled at her. "Ok?"  
  
"If you say so Le." She said with a frustrated sigh. He laughed, that was just how he felt.  
  
"Come on girl, let's go home." He put her in the car and got in. He looked over at her half way home and she was asleep. He smiled at her. He knew now that he was gonna make her his girl. Nothing had felt this right in a long time. She was meant for him. He pulled up to her house and woke her up. "You're home."  
  
"Thanks. I had a really nice time tonight. Both before and after hanging out with your friends." She smiled.  
  
"Me too. I'll see you soon?"  
  
"Sure. You know where I live." The both chuckled. She got up and went into the house. Leon went home. Kat slept like a baby from the minute her head touched her pillow. Sleep was a long time coming for Leon. He was very wound up over Kat well into the night. 


	23. Fcking American Cars!

Chapter 23 - F*ckin American Cars!  
  
Kat woke up the next day and headed to work. Even if she did love her job she still hated Mondays. She kept thinking about how to get an excuse to go down to Dom's garage to see Leon. She didn't know why he kept stopping when they started to get with each other. He couldn't know she was a virgin. She wasn't telling him that. She knew without being told that it would freak him right out. So the only way he was gonna find out was if he could tell when they hooked up. And they would hook up if Kat had her way. He was the only man that had ever made her regret still being a virgin.  
  
She was out back, reorganizing the parts that had just come in when Harry came up to her.  
  
"Dom has my friends MX-6 ready. If I drop you off down there on my way to my appointment in Santa Monica can you drive the car back here and leave it in the back bay? I won't have time to grab it myself." Harry looked harried.  
  
"Sure, just let me know when you wanna go." Kat said, trying not to look to eager or desperate to get down there. She tried to put on an air of indifference.  
  
"It'll have to be now. Brian'll stay and run the store alone while you're gone." Harry motioned for her to precede him out of the store room so she did. They climbed into his Mercedes and Harry asked if she minded if he put the top down. She said of course not and used the elastic she kept on her wrist to put her hair back in a messy bun.  
  
"How long'll you be gone Harry?" She wondered how long she could mess around at DT without him knowing she'd hung out there.  
  
"Oh I doubt you'll see me again today. I'm gonna be gone till after 8 I imagine. So take your time at DT." He added with a wink and Kat blushed. He had seen right through her. "That's why I'm letting you do it not Brian."  
  
"Oh Harry." She sighed. "Am I that transparent?"  
  
"Yep, but hey, you picked a nice guy. I hope it works out for you." He smiled at her. Harry felt a kinship with Kat, he felt he had to look out for her and make sure she didn't get hurt.  
  
She smiled back. "Well, I hope so too, but this kinda blindsided me you know? I didn't plan meeting anyone let alone fallin' for Leon. I still feel bad for causing shit between him an Dom." And for robbin' him, she thought but she didn't say that. She was gonna take that to her grave if she could. No one would ever know.  
  
"You can't help who you fall for Kat, you're not supposed to." Harry said with a smile.  
  
"Funny, Sean told me the same thing. When I first thought I had feelings for Leon Sean told me I couldn't help who I liked and I shouldn't try."  
  
"Well he gave you good advice. But if he ever hurts you, you let me know and I'll take care of it." Harry said as he stopped the car at DT. "See you tomorrow Kitten." Harry called and pulled off on the way to his appointment.  
  
"Bye Harry. Have fun in Santa Monica!" Kat called as she waved good-bye to Harry enthusiastically. She pulled the elastic out of her hair and let herself into the shop via the customer door. She found Mia at the counter.  
  
"Hey Kat! How are you?" Mia asked with a smile.  
  
"I'm good. How're you?" Kat liked Mia. She was always happy and she was really nice. Mia was the perfect girl for Brian.  
  
"Good. Hot though. It's hot in here." Mia fanned herself.  
  
"Yeah, it is." Kat did find it hot.  
  
"Dom keeps sayin' he's gonna get the A/C fixed but never does. I think it comes from having the A/C ripped outa his car to save on the weight, he's use to doin' without it."  
  
"I still got mine. I wouldn't go without A/C in Cali. I'd sweat to death." Kat giggled.  
  
"I know what you mean. So what brings you down to our humble business?"  
  
"Well it seems that Harry's MX-6 is ready and he wants me to take it home for him. He won't have time to get it tonight before you guys close and the friend is pickin' it up tomorrow morning early at the store."  
  
"Yep, that's the little dark red Mazda right, small, kinda strange looken' rear end?"  
  
"That's it." Kat made a face. "If I remember it's a pseudo race car, not a real sports car at all."  
  
"That's the one for sure." Dom said from the door of his office. He'd been listening to the girls chat. He walked up to them. "But it's all working now at least. Now if the guy that owns it'll stop burnin' out in it, it might stay that way."  
  
Kat figured she'd have to be dead not to notice that Dom with no shirt on was impressive but she didn't let on. She gave him a small smile. "Well, yeah, I guess you need to know not to burn out all the time or you're gonna fry your piston rings."  
  
Dom tapped his nose. "And that is exactly what happened here."  
  
"Really? You work fast. You tore apart the block and reassembled it that fast?"  
  
"For Harry, yep. For most people, no way."  
  
"He's a great guy." Kat said. Dom wondered if she knew how many times her 'great guy' had almost gone in for receiving stolen property. He decided not to tell her. Kat handed Mia Harry's credit card and she took the payment for the car.  
  
"Well, your ride is out back. Go ahead and pick it up. They guys'll wanna say hi anyway." Dom walked back into his office after grabbing a corona from the fridge.  
  
"Yeah, and it's hot back there too so the guys are all in the same state as Dom." Mia winked and Kat blushed.  
  
"Lucky you. We have air and no one gets undressed where I work. Of course my only choices for half clothed guys would be Harry and Brian. Neither of which is as appealing to me as what you got back there." Kat laughed.  
  
"I don't mind when Brian works here for Dom." Mia laughed.  
  
"You wouldn't. I find it hard to think of Bri as a guy. I know that sounds weird but he's right up there with Sean and Stacy and Kale. It seems weird to think of him as a guy." Kat made a face.  
  
"Well, that's good. Since he's taken and if you had a thing for him you'd have to be disappointed." Mia giggled.  
  
"Who's Harry seeing?" Kat said and then they both cracked up and she even heard Dom snort in his office. Realizing Dom could hear every word made both girls blush. Kat smiled and pointed with her thumb to the door to the service bays. "I'ma get my ride now." With that Kat headed out back. She saw Leon, Vince and Jesse with no shirts on in the bay, all working on cars.  
  
She wolf whistled from the doorway. "Is this any way for people to dress around cars?"  
  
"Hey Kat." Jesse called. "What're you doin' here?"  
  
"I'm here for Harry's 'car'. He can't make it today."  
  
"Well, it's ready to go." Vince called.  
  
"I know. I was takin' to Dom." Kat walked over to it. "It's a nice color." It was the only think she had to say nice about it.  
  
"Yeah, it is." Leon said from behind her. He was staring at her top, not the car. She was wearing a silver tank top and black leather miniskirt. She was always wearing little skirts that drove him nuts. He licked his lower lip. Kat caught the movement.  
  
"You want somma this baby boy all you gotta do is say so." She said to Leon with a smirk. She was only half kidding.  
  
"OK. I want somma that." Leon said, dead serious.  
  
"You just name the time and place baby." Kat purred. She was only half kidding.  
  
"I wanna take you out to dinner, tonight. That good for you?"  
  
"That is great for me." She trailed a finger down across his collar bone, down his chest and down his belly.  
  
"What're ya doin' girl? Tryin' to drive me nuts?"  
  
She nodded. "Is it workin'?"  
  
"Yeah, it's workin'. Say you wanna tour of the place? You wanna see the back room of the garage?" Leon gestured with his head to a small room off to the side of the garage.  
  
"Sure." He had her lead the way to the room. She put a swish in her walk, knowing he was watching her go. Soon as they were out of site of his team he was all over her.  
  
"If Harry knew what was in store for you here he woulda sent Brian." Leon growled right before he had her pressed against the wall in the dark storeroom and his lips locked on hers. He kissed her for 5 minutes straight then made himself stop. "Oh man."  
  
"Yeah, oh man." Kat answered. "I hope no matter what you wouldn't do this to Brian. And now, since we forgot to turn on a light, and everyone knows you haven't been showin' me shit all, we get to go out there and have your whole team know what we've really been in here doin'."  
  
"Ah shit." Leon laughed at the absurdity of his team knowing her couldn't keep his hands off Kat for 5 minutes. He threw back his head and roared with laughter. Kat joined him, it was pretty funny. They walked out of the room, heads held high not looking at anyone else in the garage. But Kat could feel the stares of the others as they walked up to her ride, heard Vince snicker. She walked to the driver's side door of the car. She leaned against it and Leon unconsciously grabbed her waist and looked down at her. "So, I'll pick you up at home around 7?"  
  
"Sounds good. See you then." She went to turn to get in the car and Leon stopped her by gently grabbing her chin and kissing her in front of everyone. "That's to keep me till I see you tonight."  
  
She licked her lip and got in the car. Leon was still standing beside it. Kat started it up and promptly stalled it out. Leon laughed at her.  
  
"God damn it. Fucking left hand drive cars." She shouted. Leon laughed. So did Vince and Jesse. Dom even chuckled from his position in the shop doorway. Leon had trouble driving a so called normal car now too. Driving was very much based on muscle memory. You got use to doing things with a certain hand. For most people it was shift with the right, steer with the left. For him and Kat it was reversed. They found it just as strange to drive on the 'right' side of the car as others did to drive on the 'wrong'.  
  
"It'll come back to you in a minute. I have the same problem every time I have to drive an American car too."  
  
She tried to move again and this time it all worked out. She went back to work. 


	24. Facing Some Home Truths

Chapter 24 - Facing some Home Truths  
  
"Hey Bri. How's things?" She asked Brian as she walked in the door.  
  
"Good, how's the MX-6?"  
  
"If I ever drive another so called normal car again it'll be too soon. I stalled it out in the garage in front of Vince, Jesse, Letty, Leon and Dom. I'm not use to shifting with my right hand anymore. It was totally embarrassing."  
  
"Leon did that the last time he had to move my supra so don't worry about it too much!" Brian laughed.  
  
"Ha! Leon told me already. He was standing by the car when I did it." Kat smirked at having taken away Brian's advantage of knowing something about Leon she didn't know.  
  
"I know he told you because Mia called to tell me the two of you pulled a disappearing act into the storeroom and didn't even turn on the lights. Then he bent you over backwards in front of the whole team kissing you in the garage."  
  
Kat blushed. "Yeah, well, I guess I did somethin' right cause I have a date tonight Brian. So there."  
  
"You and Leon are goin' on a date?"  
  
"Yeah. What'd ya think? I was just kissin' him for fun."  
  
"Well, yeah. Isn't kissing him fun?" Brian gave her the killer smile.  
  
"Well, I don't know if it's fun. It's certainly interesting, and nice, but I don't know if it's fun."  
  
"Oh, it'll get fun later." Brian winked at her. She caught on to what he was hinting at.  
  
"BRRRIIIIIIAAAAAANNNNNN. Why you always teasin' me?"  
  
"Cause its fun. You wanna run a load of parts out to the Mobil on Hawthorne?"  
  
"Sure. Why not?"  
  
"It's in the truck, have fun." With that Kat hoped in the truck and delivered the parts.  
  
She left work early to go get ready. She had no idea what to wear. She didn't think to ask Leon where he was taking her. She'd have to try for somewhere between dressy and casual. First she showered and did her hair. She made it as straight and smooth as she could get it and on impulse grabbed scissors and hacked the bottom 6 inches off to get rid of the purple. She was sick of it. She felt as if she had grown beyond it somehow. That was a tie back to the old, young, immature Kat. She did her makeup and went to pick an outfit. One thing she had to say about spending more time around Leon was he made her self conscious about how she dressed. She felt like she was dressing like some sort of little teeny bopper or racer chaser in her own everyday clothes around him. He didn't tell her that, but she did dress a lot like the race skanks at Leon's races did. She dressed conservatively for her own races in the same clothes that branded her as a skank around his. Leon had never, ever, given her any reason to feel he thought she was easy or a skank but just seeing how the other girls on his team dressed made her think she didn't wear enough.  
  
She stood in front of her open closet staring in not seeing anything. It was far too late to go shopping. She couldn't wear jeans cause she didn't know where they were going. She pulled a dress she hadn't worn since she was 15 out of the back of the closet. The style was simple; it was made of a silky black material and skimmed her body in the right places without looking painted on. It was something her mom had bought her for one of her dance recitals, for after her performance. It had spaghetti straps that crossed in the back, which was low cut, but not too low, it stopped just above the small of her back. Her tiger peaked out occasionally but was mostly hidden. The neckline was heart shaped and not too low. The length had been to her knees at 14 when the dress was bought but was now about 3 inches above them. With her hair down long all around her she thought she looked classy, adult. She hoped so.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"You look like such a little lady Katherine." Her mother beamed at her. "And you danced like an Angel. You are going to be a Prima Ballerina someday. You'll be better then I've ever been." Kat had just finished a recital in which she'd had a major part.  
  
"Don't be silly Mama, you're the prettiest, best dancer ever. I'll never be as good as you. You're the prettiest Prima Ballerina ever." Kat hugged her mama.  
  
"That's not true. You looked like a fairy princess out there tonight Kat, if you practice you'll go far with dance. After all you are descended from a long line of beautiful ballerinas." Her mama had smiled then shoed her off to go mingle. She got many compliments on both her performance and on her beautiful dress, to which she always said her mama had picked it for her, and that her mama helped her practice her dance at home.  
  
Her mama was Russian and the females of their family had all been involved in dance. Kat wasn't sure if she wanted to make it her life. She liked to dance, to feel graceful and feminine but she didn't know if she had it in her to make dance her life the way her mama had. Her mama hadn't really been allowed to have Kat, but she got pregnant by her husband and refused to not have her child. Really she was in violation of her contract but her company liked her so much and she was so good they'd looked the other way, and her mama had gotten her figure right back.  
  
Her mama loved her so much and had been so proud of her, both while she preformed and afterward as she acted with class and grace mingling with the crowd in her new black dress. She'd felt so grown up, even if she was only 14. Her mom had been killed soon after, and the dress had held too many memories to wear it, but she hadn't been able to part with it either. So she'd been sure to pack it when she ran.  
  
*end flashback*  
  
She went downstairs and got strange looks from the guys. "Where did that dress come from?" Sean asked.  
  
"Yeah, and when did that become your style?" Stacy added.  
  
"I've had it for years, since before you guys even knew me. And it's not my style but I'm goin' out tonight." Kat was nervous and her New York accent was showing a bit.  
  
"Goin' out with wit' the skinny white boy?" Kale asked.  
  
"If by that you mean Leon, then yeah. He's far from skinny. He's wiry." Kat used Leon's own adjective and laughed. "Besides he's about the same size as you Kale." Kale had the decency to look chagrined when she pointed that out. "And even besides that I thought you guys liked him."  
  
"We do. We just hope that he's got the best in mind for you Kat. And that you don't get hurt over this whole thing. I know I told you you can't help who you fall for, but damn Kitten. If he finds out."  
  
"Stop right there." She cut Sean off. "Sean, I love you. I love all three of you guys. But we don't talk about that ever again. It never happened. If he doesn't know yet then he's never gonna. And we're keepin' it that way. If you talk about it then there's every chance a'getting overheard. So forget it ever happened. The old bad boys did that. Not us."  
  
"Ok, ok. Just don't say that I didn't warn you Kitten. I do this stuff for your own good. I think the shits really gonna hit the fan if the thing we don't talk about ever gets out." Sean frowned. He just wanted to wrap her in cotton wool and keep her forever the way she was before Leon. But then again the way she was before Leon was not the way she always was. She'd been changed by what she'd seen in the gang, but she reverted right back to the way she was at 14 when they'd left and Sean tried not to think about what'd she had seen.  
  
He didn't want to see her grow up. This woman was not his Kitten. She was Kat. Sean wanted her to stay cute, spunky, attitude filled, innocent Kitten for ever. He knew that her and Leon were gonna end up together in every sense of the word. He knew that was the natural evolution of Kat's life, but he didn't have to like it. She was only 19, a very young 19 in a lot of ways. That was their fault. She hadn't had to deal with normal teenage things or live a normal teenage life. The things she'd seen and done should have jaded her or made her hard. At the very least she should be more world weary then she was, she should be more then grown up, should be old for her age. But she was still so very innocent that it made Sean scared for her every time she was out in the world without him. Sean was her champion and he didn't know if he was willing or ready to turn that job over to Leon, to anyone. Didn't know if Leon even wanted the role or knew what he was getting himself into. Kat needed to be protected from herself in a lot of ways. She didn't trust a lot. Didn't know when to ask for help, admit she couldn't do something. Someone had to be around to help her without letting her know, or to try to slow her down. Sean found himself wondering if they'd given her the skills to cope if she ever really had to. Or would she fall to pieces in times of great hardship because she'd never learned to deal?  
  
There was nothing else to do but let the cub out into the world and see if she could hunt, survive, defend herself. But she could know that she had her pack to fall back on in rough times too. It was hard for Sean because he knew that if Leon found out about what they'd done and refused to have anything to do with Kat because of it there was nothing any of them could do. It would be hard to blame the man. But Leon knew Kitten and the rest of them had been gangster. He had to know they'd done stuff they wouldn't be proud of. But if he found out what they'd done to him would whatever he felt for Kitten be stronger then the anger he'd be bound to feel?  
  
All he could do was hope they never had to answer that. Because Sean hoped the day that Leon figured this whole thing out never came. But Sean had been around too long and seen too much to figure that was at all likely. Leon was gonna figure it out, Sean had a feeling, and Sean didn't know the other man well enough to know if he'd forgive them or not. Sean could only hope that the addictiveness of having Kat in one's life was enough to ensure that Leon did forgive her if the day ever came that he guessed. Of course the guys would all take the bullet for her too, if Leon would let them, say it was all their idea and Kitten just went along. It was all speculation, everything might turn out fine. Sean didn't have a crystal ball, so he could only hope for the best. But his gut told him he should also prepare himself and the guys to support Kitten in the event of the worst.  
  
"Well Sean, saying 'the thing we don't talk about' is talking about it. So put it in the past boy. That's where it belongs." Kat sat down on the couch to wait for Leon. She knew something deep was going on in Sean's head but she didn't know what. Didn't want to know right now. She wanted to enjoy her night out and she couldn't do that if she knew that she had in some way caused Sean to be upset.  
  
"Kitten, sometimes you live in some sort of fucken' fairytale world you know? Not talkin' 'bout it doesn't make it go away." Stacy frowned. "I'm not tryin ta be mean but Damn girl, you gotta be prepared for what'll happen if he does figure it out. I hope he doesn't but if you're not ready for that time if it ever comes then you'll only be hurt worse. Sometimes you're so fucken' naïve." Stacy hated himself for the hurt look that flashed across her face. They never talked that harshly to Kat. Maybe that was half the problem. She recovered quickly.  
  
"Stacy, I really, really thank you for being so concerned for me. I really do. But if I let myself think about it then I'll spend the whole time I'm with him worrying about not saying anything that could possible let on to him. And I can't live like that. I like this guy. A lot." Kitten smiled at the guys in what she hoped was a reassuring way. "It's gonna be fine. And I know that I can be stupid by times."  
  
"I never said stupid, I said naïve. I just want you to think about what'll happen if he should ever find out. We all hope it never happens but hoping doesn't always make stuff happen."  
  
"I know that guys." She was still smarting over Stacy talking to her like that. They were never harsh with her. She wasn't use to it and she was fighting back tears as she thought about it.  
  
The doorbell rang. "Ok, well, that'll be him. See you all tomorrow." She said firmly to let them know there was every chance she wouldn't be coming home that night. She opened the door and there was Leon, dressed up more then she'd ever seen him. He was wearing a white collared shirt open at the throat and black casual pants. She was glad she picked out the dress she did.  
  
"Wow, you look awesome." Leon breathed out. This was not the Kat he'd come to know. He felt almost inadequate next to this woman. This was not a racer chick, this was a beautiful woman and Leon worried in that moment that he wasn't good enough for her.  
  
"You're looken' pretty good yourself, though I liked your outfit at the garage today better." Kat admitted then blushed.  
  
That put Leon right at ease with her. She was still the same Kat that fought Dom, worked selling parts for Harry, and raced her car with crazy skill. In short if she'd been a sophisticated woman she would be out of his league, but she was just his Kitten in a dress. It was just a costume on her just like these clothes were a costume on him. It was nice to play dress up for the night but underneath they were still the crazy car type who didn't normally wear anything that a little grease would hurt.  
  
"Well, thanks. You ready?" Leon held out a hand to her.  
  
"I'm very ready. Let's go. So where are you taken' me?" The guys heard as they walked down the walk and out to Leon's freshly washed, waxed and, miracle of miracles, interior detailed, Skyline. Kale watched out the living room window as Leon walked Kat down the driveway to his car and helped her into the passenger side.  
  
"This guy does really like her you know." Kale stated more then asked.  
  
"I know. But does he like her enough to over look what she did, does he like her enough to look past the fact that while she did it to him, it wasn't about him, and she didn't mean to hurt him? Does he think he could love her someday? Or does he think she's a good time for now?" Sean sighed. "If I told you guys I wasn't scared a'her being wit this guy I'd be lying. I just don't know if he's into Kitten, or into the image that Kitten portrays. So many people see her as the good time girl, who's always happy and ready for anything, one of the guys who happens to be a girl. What happens when he sees Kitten in a bad mood, Kitten depressed?" Sean sighed again and sat down.  
  
"I just don't know Dawg, I really don't." Stacy answered. He was worried too, but they'd already over protected Kitten, it was time to let her go and make her own mistakes. "It's time to let Kitten make her own mistakes and learn from 'em guys. There's no way around that." That was deep for Stacy. But he was right. Sean and Kale nodded.  
  
The guys decided to go visit Connor and the crew for the night to work some of the melancholy off with some beer and loud, good natured male camaraderie.  
  
Leon sped off to the restaurant he was taking Kat to. He hoped she liked Italian food. It was what Leon knew and a family friend owned this place. They pulled up and he parked the car. He ran around to help Kat out of the car and she smiled up at him. She felt like a lady for the first time in her recent life. No one treated her like this normally. It was nice, for a change. She knew it went with the front she was putting on tonight. Racer Kat would be outa her mind if anyone treated her like this for too long. But dressed up ladylike Kat was liking it in the small dose she was going to be getting it. Leon held the door of the place open for her and even pulled out her chair. They ordered and as they waited Leon started to question her.  
  
"You cut your hair. Why?"  
  
"I got sicka the purple. You like it like this?"  
  
"Sure, it's still as long pretty well, I liked it before too. It looks more adult. I almost figured you were too good for me when I went to pick you up. You look so good."  
  
"If anything you're too good for me Leon." Kat looked so serious, Leon didn't get it. He tried to put her at ease.  
  
"Well, we're both fine for each other in our real clothes, so I guess we're both fine for each other in our dress clothes too."  
  
"Good way to put it." She laughed. "You are like the king of tact." He decided to ask her some deep questions next. 


	25. Trading Life Stories

Chapter 25 - Trading life stories  
  
"So, Kat, what did your folks do in New York before you had to move here?" Leon wanted to know more about her. He realized that all he had been thinking of was getting in her pants in a lot of ways, and he didn't even really know her. He knew he wanted more then a one night stand with her, but for all he knew racing was all they had in common.  
  
"Well, that's a long time ago. It's a really long story."  
  
"Well, we got the time and I'd really like to know."  
  
"Well, my mom was a dancer. A really good one. My dad left went I was little, but I know he was into cars." Kat smiled. "My poor mother always wanted me to dance too but I wanted Tonka toys and hot wheels. I was my dad's little shadow from what I'm told. I was always in the garage with him and he use to take me to work wit' him. I don't remember him at all now. He left us when I was 5 or 6. I don't get it cause he and my mom were really in love from all accounts. But I don't really even remember him now. My mom died when I was 14."  
  
"Wow, so how did you come to decide to come to California?"  
  
"It was as far away as I could get from New York." She laughed. "And I hate snow."  
  
"True 'dat." Leon smiled. "So what did you want to be as a kid?"  
  
"You're gonna laugh." She giggled.  
  
"No I'm not!" Leon tried to look sincere. He leaned in toward her with a rapt look on his face. "I can tell this is gonna be good so spill."  
  
"I wanted to follow in my dad's footsteps and be a racecar driver. And own a custom creations type car store." She blushed.  
  
"So you got your wish." Leon smiled. "Nothin' wrong wit' dat."  
  
"Well, no, I didn't exactly get my wish. I mean I get to race, but I wanted to do it for real. Like crowds in the stands and fans across the country, sponsors, merchandise, career real. That sort of thing. Not this sort of fly by night, run from the law, could end any time, not really what you can do for the rest of your life kinda racing. I mean I can't street race forever Leon. Someday I'm gonna half to get a real job. I wanted racing to be my real job."  
  
"Well, why don't you try to make racing a career? What's stopping you?" Leon asked her, he really cared he found, he really wanted to know. She was good, no doubt she could race on the tracks for real and do ok. It was never a burning ambition for Leon to race pro. He got off on the thrill of the race and the chase more then the winning aspect.  
  
Kat looked at her breasts. "What's stoppin' me is my gender." She gestured to her front. "They don't take woman into pro circuits very often. I think I'd have a better chance of winnin' a lottery."  
  
"I can see that point of view I guess. You know you and Dom have more in common then you even know."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Well, he always just wanted to race too. There was never anything else for Dom. His dad was a racer too. A real, career racer. Then one year during the last race of the year this dude Kenny Linder put Van Toretto into the wall at 120 and Van died in the crash. Dom saw Linder a week after and beat him senseless. Dom did 2 years for assault and they banned 'im off the tracks for life. So he learned mechanics for real. I mean he already knew all there was to know about all kinds of cars. But he went and got his license then because it was clear that his real dream of following in his papa's footsteps was never gonna happen and he started his garage to be a second place substitute. Real race car drivers'll take cars to Dom to fix if their own pit crews are having trouble figuring something out. Dom was gonna race and Vince and Letty were gonna be his pit crew. Now Vince doesn't even really work at the garage anymore, he just helps us out when we get busy and Dom's stuck racing in the streets just to get his fix. It's so in his blood he can't just say no to it not matter how hard he tries."  
  
"Poor Dom." Kat breathed out. "I had no idea his dad died like that, let alone they would ban him off the track for that. I mean how old was he when this all went down?"  
  
"He was 20 I think. Yeah, he was 20. He got outa jail at 22. Letty was 18 when he got out. Letty'd been around since she was 10 and Dom was 14. Dom's always been the guy she wanted, the when she turned 16 Dom noticed her, noticed her but didn't do anything about it right away. Then he went in. When he got out he hooked up with Letty. Dom was always a player till then from what I hear but he loved Letty and he stopped seein' other girls when he started to see her. But he went to jail before they started to see each other seriously. Then when he got out they hooked up."  
  
"What's the deal there? I could tell that Letty thought I was after Dom from the moment I met her." She thought for a second. "No, that's not right. She thought he was after me from the get go and she assumed that because I was into street racin' that I'd just return his interest. I didn't get it. I was sorta insulted because I didn't chase after any guys let alone a guy with a girl already."  
  
Leon sighed, he wondered if this was his business to tell her, but it was gonna help her understand the dynamic of his team and that was important. "Well, when Dom got outa jail they took up where they left off but Letty'd never liked another guy because she'd been into Dom since 10. Dom'd had lots of girlfriends before he went in and he'd never had a serious one in his life. He still wanted to be with Letty, but maybe he was too young then, and still enjoying his new freedom too much, and he shoulda made his relationship with Letty wait while he fucked around when he got outa jail. If he'd a told her he didn't want to be with her that way then it might not have hurt her so much when she found out he'd been with other girls. But he was supposed to be her boyfriend, and I guess that makes what he did to her cheating. And he did it with some really nasty girls, the kind that'd make sure Letty knew. None of those girls wanted Dom, they just wanted to be able to say they'd slept with the great one. And then they wanted to rub Letty's nose in the fact that she couldn't keep Dom at home, they implied that she wasn't good at.Well, I think you know. And it messed her up. But she still loved him too. I don't think he's done it lately, but he did it enough back then that she still doesn't trust him completely. I think Dom still likes the challenge of trying to get a girl that he shouldn't have to give into him too. He just restrains himself better now."  
  
"Wow, that's a whole lot of history. I'd like to say that in Letty's shoes I'd just leave, but I've never been there, and that's a whole lota history. I gotta think they're some sorta fated lovers or somethin' ya know? I mean I didn't even know boys were different from girls at 10. I thought we all loved cars and bikes and dirt, much to my mother's chagrin. I don't know how she knew at 10 that he was the man for her."  
  
"I don't know. They're somethin' else when they're together in good times."  
  
"So, Leon, what was you're childhood like? I know your mom ran off but not in any detail."  
  
"Well, my mom left when I was 16, the last thing she taught me to do was drive. I hate her for a lot of things but I can't hate her for that. I wish she hadn'ta left me with her husband though. He wasn't anything to me, ya know? He was her husband and he never liked me. I was another man's. I was lucky that my real dad, Jesse's dad, took me in like he did. He's a great guy. Jesse has his car."  
  
"So you know how I got my Skyline, spoiled brat that I am. How did you get yours?"  
  
"Oh, that's a long story."  
  
"I got time too." She grinned at him. "I'm waiting." Their food arrived and Leon started the story while they ate.  
  
"Well, I really wanted one. I mean really bad. I'd heard about this fantastic car from Japan that wasn't ever gonna be runnin on our side cause it couldn't pass emissions but that it was the car that could blow any other import, any other sports car outa the water. And I wanted one. I was more into racin' then, I was, or I like to think I was, as good as Dom and I wanted to have the best car. Me'n Jesse started workin' crappy jobs to save up money and every time we saved enough we bought somethin' else to speed up the Jetta. It was just his dad's car at first, his dad doesn't do cars or racin'. But we started to tune it. Tuning was fairly young then, and not a lot of people were into it yet, let alone in German cars. But Jesse, he's, well, somethin' else with engines. And he always has been. Don't know where he learned. But anyway, he started tunin' this Jetta. And I started teachin' myself to drive the Jetta fast. And we started hittin' races. We made some money but not a lot. It was better then the jobs we had before and we lived at home, not like we had a lot of expenses at the time. All this time I had the plan of endin' up wit' a skyline somehow. Then one night a guy showed up at races with one. I was floored. The R32 was the top of the line at the time so it was my dream car. It was in rough shape and I don't think to this day the kid with it had any idea what it was. He had no money and neither did I but we wanted to race each other. So we both threw down our slips. He lost."  
  
"You bet your dad's Jetta to get the Skyline? Wow, and they call me cocky."  
  
"Well, I wasn't loosin'." Leon looked at her with that grin she was fast coming to love.  
  
"You got lucky huh?"  
  
"I sure did. But I've had that car ever since and Dad always said he didn't wanna know how I got it. Then Jesse and I started tunin' it up. How'd you meet your guys?"  
  
"You're gonna know my life story at this rate Leon. You wanna be here all night?"  
  
"Sure, if you keep talkin' girl." He gave her a big sincere smile.  
  
"Ok, well, I suppose I should tell you I been racing since I was 14 and my mom died. My brothers started me off in corvettes and found out I was good at it. They got off on the popularity that came from the New York skanks when it came out they had a little sister they were raising, a sister who could race better then most of the local guys who'd been doin' it for years. My brothers are thugs, they ran a chop shop, I think they were even small time mobsters or mafia. But anyway, one day I happened to overhear J.My older brother," no names she reminded herself, "on the phone, talking and listened long enough to realize he was making plans to sell me to a friend cause he didn't want to be responsible for me anymore. So I ran away in the corvette I raced for them. I ran to LA, somehow took an exit into south central and met the guys. Thankfully they took a likin' to me and took me home. Named me kitten cause Sean still insists I looked like one and I was a stray, and indulged me. They thought it was novel to have a girl child that raced and talked trash I think. But they took good care of me, made me go to school and shit. I know they protected me more then they let on from stuff. I love 'em to pieces."  
  
"I can see that. You got lucky too."  
  
She looked deep into Leon's eyes, so green and deep. "Yeah, I did."  
  
Leon knew she was hinting that he was her luck, not her guys. The waitress had brought the bill long ago but they'd been so engrossed in each other they'd just kept talking. "You wanna go for a drive?"  
  
"I'd love to." They left and sped off toward downtown. "You wouldn't be hoping for a repeat of what happened the last time we went down town in your car would you?"  
  
"Well, would you be mad if I said yes?" Leon asked, semi serious.  
  
"I'd be mad if you said no." Leon smiled. That was the answer he'd been hoping for. He wasn't sure if he wanted to try to take Kat home tonight. He knew they were headed down that road, and it sure seemed like she was wanting to go down it with him. But he didn't know what it was about her that made him want to know her better first.  
  
"Well then, I know just the place." He drove them back to the beach. Kat was internally upset at this because she figured if he didn't take what she offered here last time he wasn't likely to take it now. However just kissing him was nice and if they didn't cross the finish line as it were tonight she figured she'd just have to let this relationship take it's time and get there when it was ready. But Kat was ready now.  
  
Like she figured all Leon did was kiss her again. Well, he went further then kissing her, but he never made any move to take it all the way, no matter how she tried to entice him into it. And she did try. But he wasn't having it. He brought her home pretty well as innocent as she left it.  
  
She was laying in bed, frustrated as hell that Leon continued to refuse what she was offering. She was starting to figure that he wasn't into her like that after all. Why else would a guy refuse to take what she was clearly wanting to give? But then again he did get involved in her and she sensed the self control he needed to stop each time.  
  
But what was he waiting for? How much better did he need to know her before he knew her well enough? She knew from Brian that Leon was far from innocent. He'd been around enough that she knew that sex for Leon wasn't normally any sort of major commitment. Did he assume that she'd expect a commitment from him if they hooked up? Maybe, but she hadn't done anything on purpose to give him that idea. She was going to pull out all the stops she could to get him into bed the next chance she got. She laughed at herself. How many other girls had ever had to think that about Leon? None she'd bet. She'd bet she was the first one to ever have to seduce him.  
  
She fell asleep that night with thoughts of seducing Leon on her mind. 


	26. The answer is obvious

Chapter 26 - The answer is obvious  
  
She woke up the next day and headed to work. Brian saw her come in and smirked at her. "So, how did last night go?"  
  
"Obviously not as well as you think, cutie, from that smile you're givin' me."  
  
"What'd ya mean by that?"  
  
"Well, you're smirking at me like you think we got it on last night and we didn't." Kat blushed.  
  
"You didn't? What'd ya mean you didn't?"  
  
"What'd ya think I mean Brian? Geese. I was home by 12am."  
  
"But Leon didn't get home till like 3." Brian realized he likely shouldn't have said anything about that when he saw the look that crossed Kat's expressive face.  
  
"Well, he wasn't out wit me that long." Kat frowned. Leon should have known better, after all he did know he lived in the same house as Brian didn't he, Kat asked herself. So there must be an innocent, logical explanation.  
  
"I'm sure he had a good reason. After all he musta known there was every chance you'n I'd talk about how things went." Kat looked slightly less concerned now. "I'm sure he just had to calm down from not gettin' any." Brian gently nudged her in the ribs with his elbow to drive home his joke.  
  
"Yeah, that's it." Kat laughed. "He's too much of a gentleman. I been trying to.Ok, Brian, you don't need any more detail then that." Kat giggled.  
  
"Aw, you were just about to the good part." Brian faked a frown.  
  
"Yep, and you don't need to know. So what's on today's agenda?" Kat wanted to end this conversation and get to work.  
  
"You get to climb the ladder and wipe off the rims on the top shelf cause Harry noticed they've gotten dusty, and you're dressed for it today. What's up there?" Kat had been wearing cloths lately that had prohibited her climbing ladders.  
  
"I just didn't feel like dressing up." Kat was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a tank top. She had a hoodie with her cause she found it cold in the store sometimes. She looked at where the ladder was and saw that the vents were gonna mess with her hair if she left it down. She pulled on her hoodie and tucked her hair under the hood. She figured that would keep it out of her eyes. She got a rag and some wheel cleaner and climbed the ladder. She had no issues with heights so she was ok with this job. As Brian had said for the first time in a long time she wasn't wearing a skirt, and she couldn't climb a ladder in a skirt.  
  
She was up cleaning the rims when she heard someone enter the store. Brian greeted them and she realized it was Leon. She wondered why he was here. Was it to see her? She waited for Brian to tell Leon where to find her. Even if he wasn't here to see her he wouldn't leave without saying hello she figured.  
  
"So where's Kat?" Leon asked Brian. He'd come down on the pretense of needing some little thing for a customers car. He was really here to see his girl. He wanted to make another date with her. This time he wasn't gonna reject her advances. He knew all he wanted to know, he was done waiting, he decided he knew her well enough and he could get to know her more after. After all they had forever.  
  
"You walked right by her when you came in." Brian laughed.  
  
"I did not Dawg. I'da noticed."  
  
Brian pointed. "Well, that looks like her to me." But it didn't really. She could be a guy in that outfit, Brian thought, and the thought made him smile, she was such a tomboy and now she looked like a dude.  
  
Leon looked at the figure up the ladder in front of him. He had this nagging sense of knowing that ass again, and not just the way he should since it was Kat after all. He looked again. Baggy jeans hanging off her ass, hoodie covering her head, hair and most of her face, looked kinda like a guy in that outfit, not much in the way of hips or breasts to give her away.  
  
He cocked his head to the side and looked again. She started down the ladder since she'd heard Brian tell Leon that it was her up the ladder.  
  
Oh my god, Leon thought as something dawned on him, Kat was the skinny white person that'd robbed him that night. Leon couldn't believe he hadn't saw it sooner. The fourth person involved had been a white girl and he was looking at her now. He was floored. He couldn't believe that had been Kat and her gang that had done that to him. When was she gonna tell him? Never? After they'd become even more into each other. How could she do this to him? That was why he'd had that sense of knowing her all those times, his subconscious had known who she was from the start. She got off the ladder and turned to face him, lowering the hood and shaking her hair out as she turned.  
  
Leon schooled himself to not let on to her in front of Brian. He wanted to talk to her outside, or away from Brian and Harry. He was so mad though he didn't know if he could do it, didn't know if he could trust himself not to say or do something he'd regret. He'd been shook up for months over what she'd done.  
  
"Hey baby boy, whatcha doin' down here?" She asked with a big grin. He only came down here to see her, otherwise he'd just ask Brian to bring home what they needed. She knew that, but she asked anyway.  
  
"I needed a part for Dom. Can we talk outside?" She seemed so happy to see him. If he hadn't stopped her with his tone she'd be hanging off his neck right now.  
  
"Um, sure. Is something wrong?" She looked upset and nervous at the look on his face. He looked really upset.  
  
"No, we just need ta talk for a second." Leon said and took hold of her arm, steering her out the front door of 'The Racer's Edge' and out to the pavement outside. Kat pulled off the sweater as the blast of heat from the California sun assaulted her at the door. Leon's grip had been almost painful, she glanced at her arm and found she had finger prints on it where he'd grabbed her. She wondered what was up. It most definitely wasn't nothing like he'd said. She didn't know what would cause him to grab her like this. She was gonna have bruises. She felt a week of no tank tops in her future or the guys were going to hunt down whoever did that to her, and she didn't want them to go after Leon. He must have just been lost in his thoughts and not known what he was doing.  
  
"Well, what's wrong Leon, and don't say nothing cause you're acting funny." She frowned at him, and glanced at her other arm.  
  
"When were you gonna tell me?" He saw her look at her arm and was ashamed of having hurt her, and surprised that she didn't look at him with accusation for having done it. She looked concerned for him, not herself. He schooled himself to say calm, and mad at her, despite wanting nothing more then to pull her into his arms, kiss the marks he'd inflicted on her and tell her it was all gonna be fine.  
  
"Tell you what?" She looked genuinely confused.  
  
"You know what Katherine." She regretted admitting to her full name. She hated it when anyone called her Katherine. Her mother'd done that when she was in trouble or when she was really happy with Kat. Either way it made her miss her mom. A nagging doubt was forming in the back of her mind.  
  
"No I don't, Leonardo, and isn't that a woman trick, the old I'm not telling you what you did cause you already know routine." Leon winced at her use of his full name, he'd grudgingly gave it up when she'd been questioning him last night.  
  
"Well, you know what you did that would piss me off, I figured it out."  
  
"God Damn it Leon, this is getting old, what did I do?" Good lord no, she thought, he'd figured it out. She knew that he had to have figured it out. Nothing else could make him this mad. She could tell when she looked for it he was downright pissed at her. She couldn't just let on could she? Could she convince him she hadn't recognized him from that night? Was that better or would it be better for her to admit it?  
  
"Come off it Kat. You know what you did." He yelled at her loud enough to bring Brian to the door of the store.  
  
"Is everything ok?" Brian asked with concern.  
  
"Everything's fine but for one thing, right Kat?" Leon asked with sarcasm.  
  
"I don't know what you mean." She kept trying even though she knew he was not going to be convinced it wasn't her. Leon looked ready to shake her. She was getting a little afraid of him; she already had a set of 5 reasons to know he was on the verge of violence. "Ok, ok, do you need to yell about it out here? Could we go for a drive and discuss this?" She knew he wasn't going to accept she didn't know. He must have seen the truth in her eyes. She knew she'd might as well admit it, since he obviously already knew anyway.  
  
Leon didn't know if getting in a small space with her was smart right now. He was so mad. Why couldn't she have told him this right away? Why had she made him find out? If she'd told him in the first place he could have dealt with it, but figuring it out and knowing if she hadn't told him by then she was never going to was very upsetting to him. "I don't think you want to be alone with me right now Kat. I could shake you. When were you gonna tell me?"  
  
"Never." She admitted in a small voice. "I didn't know if you'd be able to forgive me and I figured that you'd never know. I see now I shoulda known someone as smart as you was gonna figure it out." She was clearing fighting to keep her composure. Brian didn't want to leave them alone because he didn't know where this was going.  
  
"Yeah, you shoulda told me. I mean what else is a lie wit you? Do you always get what you want? Oh yeah, I guess you already told me you always do." He thought back to the first day he ever saw her, when she showed Brian her car, and she'd told him that her guys spoiled her.  
  
"Leon, this had nothin' to do wit you. It was somethin' we did. I'm not proud of it, but it wasn't like we singled you out. It was a big coincidence. It wasn't about you." She reiterated, getting more and more upset.  
  
"Yeah, you can look at it that way, must be nice to have been on the side of things you were on, but from my side of things it was very much about me wasn't it?" Leon couldn't believe she expected him to just let it go. She was acting like she did expect just that.  
  
"But I didn't even know you at the time. I only met you way after through Brian. I had no idea I was gonna fall for you when I did what I did. I didn't know you. You were just a means to an end then. I.I care about you a lot now Leon.and if I could go back and fix it I would. But I can't. I'm so sorry that it was you. But if we didn't do it I wouldn't know you because it was what spurred me on to get my life in order. I only got this job after I got my life back and that's the only reason I even met you. I was made to know you." She had such a heartfelt look of sincerity on her face it was all Leon could do not to pull her to him, say he didn't care and make it all better. She'd placed her hand on his arm while she made her impassioned speech and he jerked away from her.  
  
But he did care about what she'd done and that was what people had been doing for this girl for her whole life, giving her an easy way out of her difficulties. Robbing him had been the easy way. She could have gotten a job and worked for money, just like him and Jesse'd had to do. But no, she robbed someone. She'd gone way past the time in her life when someone had to make her take responsibility for her own actions he figured and he couldn't find it in himself to just forgive her this.  
  
"What's goin' on here?" Brian asked. He didn't like the way Leon was talking to Kat. He could see it was upsetting her. He could see the little bruises on her arm too.  
  
"Just stay out of it Brian. It has nothin' to do wit' you." Leon answered, holding up a hand to keep Brian at bay.  
  
"Well, your almost makin' Kat cry out front of the store Leon, I think that does concern me." Brian answered.  
  
"It's ok Brian, go back inside. I'm fine." Kat sniffled and looked at Brian, tried to smile. "We'll need to work this one out on our own Bri."  
  
"Yeah, for once there's no one to pick up the pieces for you and keep you in your little fairytale land where everything goes your way and you get away with whatever you want, get whatever you want." Leon was out to hurt her like she'd hurt him, and when she started to openly cry he figured he'd managed. He cringed mentally but outwardly showed no signs of any emotion but anger. 


	27. Home of the Skyline

Chapter 27 - Home of the Skyline  
  
"You think I get whatever I want Leon? Yeah, I signed up to have my dad run off, my mom get killed, my older brother try to give me away as a.I don't even know, run away and be raised by strangers, fall for someone like you, someone I knew I'd hurt." Kat raised her voice, it sounded shrill even to her own ears.  
  
But this wasn't fair. Maybe he had the right to be angry but not to say that her life had been some sort of perfect fairytale. Yeah the guys had been good to her, but her life had been damn hard for more years then Leon'd ever know about. She'd done her best to forget a lot of the time she'd spent with the gang, and much as she loved her guys, they'd all done things she couldn't live with if she allowed herself to think about it too much. But again if Stacy had told her she lived in a fairytale and so did Leon then maybe she did tend to stray from reality a little, but that was just how she coped with all the other stuff she'd been through. She was shaking; the tears were running down her face but she didn't notice, didn't know she was crying, felt sort of numb.  
  
"Whatever you want to say about what I did is fine Leon and I can take it but don't ever presume to tell me that my life has been some sort of easy, teen movie, perfect existence." Kat was screaming at him now. She was close to losing it. "I've been to hell and back and you have no right to presume to tell me that I live in a fairytale land. You know that was the only thing that kept me alive? For years. My ability to lose myself into a world where things weren't so hard. I've seen more of hell then you ever will and I wouldn't wish what I been through on anyone. I tried to end it all once, Sean found me, in time he says, unfortunately I say, and they saved me. So don't ever think to tell me that I've had it easier then anyone!"  
  
"Leon, nothing is worth hurting her like this over dude." Brian tried again to make Leon stop saying these things to Kat. He didn't understand. He went to put an arm around her shoulders, to comfort her, but Leon again held him back, like he didn't want to see Kat get any comfort from anyone. Brian didn't need to hear her say anything else about trying to kill herself. He couldn't believe it. Brian couldn't stand to see her like this, he was about to defy Leon and go to her side anyway when Leon spoke.  
  
"Why don't you tell your champion what you did huh, baby girl?" Leon said, dripping in sarcasm. He couldn't believe she'd tried to kill herself though. So her life hadn't been as easy as she'd implied when they first met. She still didn't need to have done what she did.  
  
"I want us to work this out first Leon. Then we'll tell everyone." Kat tried to calm him down, oblivious to the fact she was herself, teetering on the edge of a precipice into an emotional breakdown.  
  
"There's no workin' this out Kat. You're not worth it and I don't wanna have anything to do wit you ever again. Got it?" With that he stalked up to his car and got in. As he got in he watched Kat crumple to the ground, sobbing.  
  
Brian ran up to her and dropped to his knees beside her. Seeing her like that was almost more then Leon could take. He almost got out and went to collect her. Told her they could work it out, they'd get past it. He knew he'd gone too far in what he'd said to her, been unnecessarily cruel. But he was still very upset to find out what she'd done. Brian was cradling Kat against his chest while she cried, rubbing her back and brushing her hair back out of her face. Leon started the skyline up, he felt like a cad and that wasn't fair, he was the one who was wronged here, not her. But the look of her small crumpled form on the ground was so hard for him to see. And then she reached up and wrapped her arms around Brian's neck and buried her face in his neck, the way she'd done to him so many times in the past. And he was jealous of Brian having his hands on her too, even though he knew Brian had no interest in the girl as more then a friend, even though he knew she didn't see Brian like she saw him, he knew she was sobbing her heart out on someone who was still a friend to her.  
  
Kat couldn't believe that Leon did this to her. Stacy was right, she'd had herself so convinced that Leon would never find out she wasn't prepared to deal with the aftermath. Brian was doing his best to comfort her but she felt like her heart had been torn from her body and stomped on. She wanted the earth to swallow her up so she could just cry and hurt alone in the dark. It was where she deserved to be, she thought, she was a horrible person.  
  
"Stop crying Kitten. Please?" Brian couldn't calm her down. It was almost more then he could take to see her like this. Kat was always so happy. They'd never had any indication that she'd ever break down like this. He finally just picked her up and carried her into the store. He took her into Harry's office and Harry looked up in question, then in upset when he saw the condition Kat was in.  
  
"What the hell happened Brian? Is she hurt?"  
  
"Not physically, but emotionally. Her and Leon had a fight over something and no one will tell me what." Brian sighed in exasperation and frustration and sat down with Kat still in his lap. "I don't know what to do."  
  
Harry got up and walked around his desk and crouched beside her. "Come on Princess, it can't be that bad. Just tell us what happened." Kat only cried harder. "What did he say to her?"  
  
"Just that she should know what he figured out and that it was about time she was made to own up to what she'd done on her own and not have someone cover for her." Brian was quite shaken by the fact that Kat would not calm down.  
  
"He's right too. Someone's always takin' care of my mistakes, covering for me and fixin' my mistakes. I'm a terrible person." Kat spoke for the first time since everything had happened. Kat felt like the world was crashing down around her. Leon was totally right about her and it hurt. She was selfish, immature and she didn't know how to take responsibility for her own mistakes. She relayed all of this to Brian and Harry in a shaky, tear filled voice.  
  
"Oh Kitten. You're not a terrible person." Harry didn't know what to do. He was so mad at Leon right now he could find the other man and fillet him alive. But then again they didn't know what this was over. "Kat, you need to tell us the whole story, ok? Otherwise I'm going to find and kill Leon and I won't know for what." Harry wasn't kidding. He'd also seen the bruises on her arms. She was so small that the thought of anyone hurting her physically filled Harry with a rage so violent he almost did go after Leon without the story. "And who put these marks on your arm?"  
  
"No, you can't do anything to Leon. This is all my fault. He was right. You can't go after him for being mad when he had every right to be mad." Kat was starting to stop crying but she was still very upset, almost hysterical. Harry noticed she'd danced around the issue of who marked her arm.  
  
"Well, then tell us what happened. Cause from where I'm standing I'ma help Harry if you don't tell me what went down." Brian didn't want to pressure her but they had to know. Leon was the calm, level headed one. For him to get so mad must have took one hell of an act on her part, if she hadn't done something terrible Leon had one hell of an ass kicking coming due in the near future.  
  
"Ok, I'll tell you guys if you promise not to tell anyone else and promise not to do anything to Leon."  
  
"We promise Kitten, now dry those pretty eyes and tell us what happened." Harry handed her a tissue.  
  
"Well, you remember how like a day before you hired me Leon was robbed?" They nodded, wondering where this was going. "Well, the people what did it was me and my team. I didn't know any of you then and it was just something we did. We hadn't eaten in days, and even then it hadn't been much. We had no electricity, hot water, or food. We were livin' in a one room dump in the worst part of South Central. We had no other idea for how to make money because none of us could get a job without a way to get cleaned up and look respectable. So I had the idea to do what we did. We did it and used the money to turn on the electricity and get food. Then the guys got a job as dept collectors of some sort and made the money to fix the Skyline and I got the job here because when things started to look up I got some confidence you know?" She asked and was glad to see when she looked up from her feet for the first time they didn't look at her with revulsion.  
  
"So anyway I had no idea I'd ever see the guy again. Then when I met him through Brian I was so attracted to him that I couldn't say anything. Plus here he is one of Brian's best friends. What could I do? If I admitted what'd I'd done then I'd likely have lost my job. You guys didn't know me; you would only have seen me as that awful person who robbed Leon. I tried not to get involved with him so hard because of it too but it was like fate was pullin' me in. You both know I tried not to have anything to do with him. But I want him so bad. I never wanted a guy before. I mean that. He's the first one. And now I blew it because I shoulda come clean to him about it as soon as I knew we were gonna get serious."  
  
"Wow." Brian couldn't believe it. He didn't think they could be mad at Leon for being mad. He'd been pretty shook up by the robbery. "Well, Leon was pretty messed up by what happened you know. I mean you used a gun Kat. That's not exactly playing."  
  
"I know Brian. I'm not proud of what I did. But it wasn't loaded."  
  
"He didn't know that Kitten." Brian said gently.  
  
"I know." She said simply and Brian saw the weight of all she'd done in her young life pressing her down. He saw that she was really convinced she wasn't worth knowing and that she was a horrible person. Brian felt in a lot of ways that Leon still had that ass kicking coming due. Her eyes were all red and puffy from crying and such a dark green. All the fire that made them light and golden tinged was leached out of her by what Leon had said. Her eyes were dead, like her spirit was gone, destroyed.  
  
And Brian felt for the first time that the three men who'd made her what she was had some of that ass kicking coming to them too. They'd made her a gangster when she should have been a sweet little girl. She should have been a cute, spunky, sparkling female race car driver with her whole future in front of her and all the men at her feet. Instead she was a petty crook who didn't know how to be anything else. But then again Kat had gotten lost. If anyone else found her she could be dead, or have ended up sold into slavery just like her brother tried to do. But the guys could have found her a better home then they gave her. Brian figured they tried their best by her, tried to give her all the stuff that she wanted, that they figured she needed, made her get an education even though they might not even have had one themselves. But they'd lived in an area where letting her make her own mistakes could easily mean letting her end up dead. So she'd never learned to cope. Brian figured that maybe they'd come to love Kat, but at first they kept her for the novelty too he'd be willing to bet and that wasn't fair. She'd been a child, not a pet. And now she wasn't either, but she wasn't really an adult mentally either.  
  
Brian knew this was not up to him to decide but it just seemed that Kat had been dealt an unfair hand in this whole situation. Crime was all she knew, her brothers the criminals had started that then her guardians the gang members had continued it. She'd been 15, totally impressionable and innocent when she'd come to them and the chance to live with people who'd let her do what she wanted, run wild and go to clubs, race cars with no license and hang out with some pretty tough people must have sounded really good to someone who just run away from controlling older brothers. She'd just been a kid, how was she supposed to know what was good for her? It was every kid's dream, and only people who were older and who could look back at the wonderful influence their stable parents had been could see that likely Kat had been looking for someone to make her act her age all along but no one ever had.  
  
Harry'd been murmuring nonsense to her while Brian'd been thinking and she was a little more calm. "I don't care what you did Kat, he had no right to put his hands on you or tell you you weren't worth anything. He's wrong on both counts." Harry was stroking her hair.  
  
"Harry's right Kitten, you're not a bad person. You can't help how you grew up and none of us have never known that kind of desperation. We don't know what we might do in the same position."  
  
"No Brian, he's totally right. I've never had to take responsibility for anything. Every time I ever messed up one'a the guys was always there to take care of it. If I told someone off and they came at me over it, even if I deserved it, one of the guys would beat them up or send them away. I could do whatever I wanted in school cause even half my teachers were scared of Connor. I used that to my advantage every chance I got. I got my car handed to me just for being me. Leon told me how hard he had to work for his, what him and Jesse had to do. Mine's a better car and I just got it handed to me. I got everything the guys thought I wanted just for being Kitten. And I mean listen to that name. I got that because I was Sean, Kale, and Stacy's pet. I'm so selfish it's scary to me even. I mean, I didn't tell Leon what I'd done because I wanted him and I knew that if I told him what I'd done then there was every chance I couldn't have him. I'm so use to getting everything I want that couldn't stand the thoughts of not having him."  
  
"Kat, you told me he was the first guy you ever wanted. Is that true?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah." She admitted shyly. "I mean, look at me! I mean I never got into guys, and guys always see me as the girl next door. The girl who doesn't care about her looks and is more into cars then anything. It's not like guys were beating down my door. I was always the girl to have around who could talk shit and fix your car. The girl you only raced if you wanted to give your money away or you'd never heard of me. And I learned fast that any guys that would'a liked me didn't like me when I beat them on the streets. Or that guys were just using me to get to know Connor and the guys. Leon was the first guy I ever liked that seemed to like ME back. Not Kitten the tiger."  
  
Harry and Brian shared a look. Kat was always so confident and self assured. To know that she harbored all this self doubt underneath the tough girl exterior was grounding and in many ways frightening. To know that no matter what she said or how she acted she really did care about what other people thought of her, that she was as vulnerable if not more so then any of them. And if Leon was the first guy that Kat ever wanted they could understand why she'd go out of her way not to lose him once she'd found him. And they didn't see her being a pet as a bad thing, she was sweet and kittenish, even if she was looking at it as a bad thing right now.  
  
"Sit here for a second and compose yourself sweetheart, Brian and I need to talk. Ok?" Harry asked. She nodded. They left the room together and closed the door. "Well, what'er we gonna do?" Harry asked Brian. "She's.broken somehow and I don't know what to do."  
  
"Don't know that there's anything we can do dude. Much as I don't agree with how Leon handled this he has every right to be mad, and she really doesn't know how to pick up the pieces on her own. She's so innocent in a lot of ways and I don't know how to put her back together." Brian trailed off.  
  
"I don't know Brian, but I gotta tell you, I really care about Kat. And I won't send her away and I won't have anyone harassing her around my store." Harry was still livid. He felt a bond with Kat and he felt that Leon had violated that by changing the way that Kat was. Harry liked Kat the way she was before but having a man you loved tell you you were worthless was hard on anyone, let alone someone like Kat who'd never had to learn to deal with it. And it was bound to change her. Harry hoped it didn't change her too much, that she recovered. "I think you should go home Brian, I'll take care of Kitten. I think you should go to your friend. If I see him in the near future no matter how justifiable his anger I'ma kill him."  
  
Brian could believe Harry was capable of it right now. Harry needed time to calm down and so did Kat. So did Leon and Brian hoped when everyone calmed down that everything would work out.  
  
"Ok, Harry, I'll go see what I can straighten out. You see what you can do about making Kat feel better."  
  
"We'll do Brian. Good luck with your friend."  
  
"Yeah, good luck with Kat." Harry grimaced, he knew he'd need all the luck he could get if he was ever gonna have a hope in hell of making her hurt less. Harry watched Brian stride out of the store and into his Supra. Harry went back into his office and looked at the crumpled form of Kat in his chair. She'd gotten up and moved to his comfy leather chair and curled up in a ball on the seat, knees to her chest and her chin resting on her knees. She had her arms wrapped around her legs and her eyes were closed. She looked smaller then normal, folded in on herself. Harry was really worried there was no going back. Things were irreparably changed. She was listening to that god damn mp3 site on the internet that he couldn't keep her and Brian off during the slow days, but when he yelled at them about it they just looked at each other and cracked up. He loved the way she was like that. The way she knew when he was all bark and didn't let him intimidate her at all. He hoped that didn't change.  
  
This was not her normal kind of music, it was loud and Harry thought it was by some alternative band if he was not mistaken. And rap and hip hop were the only music Kitten ever listened to by choice. He stood in the door and listened to the words, as the chorus played she threw back her head, hair cascading down the side of the chair, half way to the floor.  
  
Adrenaline keeps me in the game  
  
Adrenaline you don't even feel the pain  
  
Wilder than your wildest dreams  
  
When you're going to extremes  
  
It takes adrenaline  
  
(You don't feel the pain)  
  
"Kat?" He asked in a low voice, trying not to startle her.  
  
"Yes Harry?" She answered, not moving.  
  
"You ok?" He knew she wasn't, but he wanted to keep her talking.  
  
"Nope. The adrenaline's wearin' off and I'm crashin' hard. That's my song. Adrenaline. It's all that kept me goin' for so long, when I heard that song I knew it was for me. I wish I didn't feel the pain anymore. I wanna be numb again. I don't wanna feel it anymore. I don't wanna feel anything." She admitted quietly, without moving, silent tears coursing down her cheeks.  
  
"You wanna go home?" Harry thought that might be for the best.  
  
"Nope." She sighed.  
  
"Why not sweetheart?"  
  
"Cause he lives across the street." She said softly, on a breath.  
  
"Huh?" Harry was confused. Who lived across the street? "Who does sweetie?"  
  
"Leon." She answered, still in the same position, eyes closed, folded up.  
  
"Really? I didn't know. You live across the street from Brian?" Harry was careful to keep the mentions of Leon to a minimum.  
  
"Yeah, we didn't know when we moved in but now how can I ever go back? I don't want to see him. I don't want to hurt him anymore and I know every time he sees me he's gonna be mad." Kat leaned her head back down onto her knees so that her forehead was on her knees. Harry didn't know how she folded herself up like that. She was very flexible; it looked painful the way she was sitting. And he didn't know how she was gonna go home if she thought she had to see Leon any time soon. After all Leon had broken her heart and it would be a blow to her ever present pride to have to face him so soon.  
  
"Well, he hurt you pretty good right back Kitten, do you think maybe you're square? You could just pretend not to know him if you see him." Harry thought maybe pointing out that Leon had hurt her back might make some of that steel in her backbone come into play and make her decide to say fuck Leon in her head, but no such luck.  
  
"Yeah, but he had every right and I had no right to do what I did. I owe it to him to find a new place to live I guess, but I love my house." She started to cry softly again. "Everything's falling apart around me, I feel like I just lost my world." He could detect hints of her New York antecedents in her voice, a sure sign she was upset.  
  
"You don't have to move over this Kat. Lots of people don't like their neighbours and you didn't even know Leon that long. You'll get over him someday. I know it doesn't seem like it now. Hell, he may even realize he over reacted and come apologize to you. After what he said to you at the very least you don't owe him anything."  
  
"Fat chance." Kat stated. "But I guess I don't have to move. I just don't want to have to face him, you know?" She was still talking to her knees.  
  
"I know. Hey, I have to fly out to Japan on Wednesday. Why don't you come with me? You can look for some accessories for that crazy Skyline that you can't get here, it'll give you a chance to get away for awhile. The biggest import show in the world is goin' down while we'll be there. That's only a day away and you can stay at my place till then. I've got lots of spare rooms. What'd ya say? It'll give you time to regroup and everyone will be calmer when you come back." Harry hoped she'd take him up on it. Everything would look better when they came back.  
  
"You mean it Harry?" She looked hopeful, she turned her head to the side and rested it against her legs so she could look him in the face. "You'd wanna take me?"  
  
"Of course. I'll get you a ticket right now if you wanna go."  
  
"Of course I wanna go." She smiled, not her normal, totally free spirited smile, but better then she had been.  
  
"We'll lock your car in the back bay and I'll drive you home. You can tell your guys what happened and what's gonna happen, collect what you'll need for a week or two and then we'll head to my place." Harry opened his arms to her and she launched herself at him. He grabbed her in a big hug. "It's gonna be ok."  
  
"Yeah, I think it is." She said, feeling some hope for the future. "I still got you and Brian and my guys after all. They'll be another guy someday that'll see me for me."  
  
"Of course. There's lots of 'em out there Kat, you just never met them yet." Harry smiled. "Let's go." 


	28. You know they're bringing an asskickin w...

Chapter 28 - You know they're bringing an ass kicking with them!  
  
AN: pixiguru, yep Adrenaline is a real song by Gavin Rossdale. He use to be the lead singer for Bush. Listening to that song made me know that it had to have a story set to it. And what sport has more adrenaline then racing? So it all went hand in hand. Penning Fantasy, what can I say? Your reviews always make me smile. You rock too, I'd like to think that Carson and Kat would get along so well it would be the scariest thing on earth.Gigles, nope, she only gets to take one friend and that's me! LOL. Twisted words, you'll have to wait and see what I have in store. I said a few chapters ago that anyone who thought Kat would get to sail through this was very wrong. Happy ending? Perhaps. Stay with me, the ride should be fun. Will Leon go to Japan.Not likely. Kat needs to learn some things first, and one of the main things is that she doesn't need Leon. She has some self confidence issues, and she's gotta get over that first. But you'll all see. I hope you'll all enjoy. Sorry to anyone I missed, I appreciate every last person who takes the time to review. On to the story.  
  
Harry walked Kat to his Mercedes with his arm around her shoulders. She looked like hell but he didn't let on to her. Anyone who saw her was going to know she'd been to hell and back. Harry opened the passenger side door and helped her into the car. Then he took her car, and with some difficulty he got it safely stashed in his store's garage. It was an awkward car to drive for the first time. She was one hell of a driver to manage it and drive it at the speeds Harry knew she did. Then he came back through the store, closed up early and armed the system. He walked back up to the car and put the top down. Kat giggled at something he said, it was like music to his ears. He got in and fired up his car and started toward Brian's since he knew where Brian lived. Neither of them saw the yellow Skyline parked behind some other cars across the street.  
  
Leon saw how bad Kat looked. He was so very ashamed of how he'd treated her. But he still felt she'd had most of it coming. But Harry wasn't even letting her drive herself home? That meant she was in bad shape. He'd seen how puffy and red her face had been, how she'd pulled her knees to her chest and curled in on herself while Harry left her alone. He'd had to use every ounce of will power he had not to get out of his car, go to her, fall on his knees and tell her he'd lied, that he wasn't worthy of her, not the other way around. That he knew she'd done what she'd done out of desperation and that he knew she hadn't thought she'd ever see him again. That he didn't know how he was going to go on without her; with the knowledge of what'd he'd done weighing on him. It was heavy on his shoulders. If she'd felt like this while she was carrying around the guilt of what she'd done to him then he was surprised she'd been as happy go lucky as she was.  
  
Damn it, she'd robbed him with a weapon. He'd been paranoid for weeks after. He'd found it hard to be in crowds and was always looking over his shoulder. He wondered what she was going to do. They were neighbours after all. He was also dreading seeing her friends at his door, he knew they'd be bringing an ass kicking with them. He had it coming. He'd been unnecessarily cruel. He knew also that Brian was looking for him. He was still sort of hurt that Brian had taken her side in this. Well, maybe Brian wasn't taking sides, but he'd stayed with Kat, and he hadn't seemed that mad at her. Harry sure wasn't. Of course who knew if she'd told them what had really happened. Leon merged into traffic a short distance behind Harry's blue convertible and followed, hoping they didn't notice him.  
  
Harry pulled into a pretty house that was in fact almost right across from Torreto's house on Kat's directions. "Here we are." She said.  
  
"Wow, it's pretty." Harry smiled.  
  
"Thanks, come in with me? Don't let the guys leave the place. I don't want them to get in trouble, or to hurt Leon."  
  
"Sweetheart, I can't make you any promises. I'm not as strong as I was in my college football days." Harry smiled at her.  
  
"What team did you play football for?" Kat asked. She couldn't see Harry as a football player.  
  
"NYU" Harry answered. Kat raised an eyebrow  
  
"You been holding out on me Harry? You're a native New Yorker too?"  
  
"That was a long time ago sweetheart, I don't really talk about it anymore."  
  
"I know the feeling." Harry hopped out of the car and ran around and helped her out. He walked her up to the front door with his arm still around her waist for support.  
  
"It's gonna be alright." Harry told her one more time.  
  
"Thanks for everything Harry. I can't tell you how much it means to me that you stood by me. I know you shoulda stood by Leon and so shoulda Brian, but knowing you guys don't hate me for what I am is really, really nice."  
  
"Kat. I don't know what to tell you other then I know you didn't do anything out of malice and I really care about you in a plutonic, much older then you kinda way. And as for what you are, I hope my own daughter is half the woman you are, where ever she is." Harry grinned. He wanted her to know that he wasn't implying anything untoward by this offer and that he felt much like he hoped he would have felt about his own daughter, Starlene if he'd gotten to raise her.  
  
"Oh Harry." She cried and hugged him hard. She was crying again.  
  
"What, more tears. I thought we were over the tears." He looked upset, he wiped her face with the pad of his thumb.  
  
"They're happy tears. I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." A man like Harry wanted a daughter like her? She couldn't believe it but if it was true then she couldn't be all bad.  
  
"Well, it's true. So there you go. Let's tell your guys the low down." He hugged her tightly again and then released her.  
  
"Ok, lets. The sooner I get outa here for awhile the better I think. I'll miss the guys. I hope they'll be ok for a week or two alone." She'd never left them without female supervision since they'd been together.  
  
"I'm sure they'll do fine." They entered her house and she was glad to find the guys were already together in the living room.  
  
Leon watched them enter her house and he was jealous of Harry treating her with such respect. Like the lady she was instead of the tough chick he'd treated her like. Harry realized she was a lady under all the attitude, and since it took losing her to make Leon see that he felt like an even bigger ass. He'd known that she'd had this misconception about no one seeing her as pretty or sexy, but he hadn't allowed himself to think of how that would make her act. He knew that lots of guys would like to be all over her, but she didn't. Of course she thought that any little thing would be enough to drive him away from her. She didn't see herself as a prize, she saw herself as a consolidation prize if anything.  
  
She was likely so surprised that he'd been into her that she'd felt she couldn't tell him because she was already so imperfect, he was already doing her such a favor by dating her in her mind that if she was any more imperfect he'd leave her. She'd had one strange life, and he hadn't helped anything by pointing it all out to her and throwing it in her face. He felt like such an ass he almost walked up to her house and demanded his ass kicking, confessed what he'd done to her friends and told them to bring it on. But that was just for him, to lessen his guilt in the whole situation, like if they kicked his ass they'd be somehow even so he decided to let it alone for now and go home to the minor ass kicking that Brian had no doubt brought home from work for him.  
  
"Kat what happened?" Sean looked from Harry to Kat. He knew Kat was upset and could tell she'd been crying.  
  
"He found out." Kat stated, trying to be devoid of emotion to lessen the chance of Sean or Stacy going nuts. If they knew how hurt she was by what happened they'd be likely to flip. She was still leaning into Harry for the support the man was offering her. Kale was sort of the Leon of their group, the peacemaker, and she figured that he wouldn't do anything foolish. The rest of them however.  
  
"How'd he take it?" Sean asked her.  
  
"Not good." Kat sighed and sat down, motioning for Harry to find a chair. "You all remember Harry?" They all nodded.  
  
"Well.What happened?" Stacy asked.  
  
"Not so fast. First I want a promise from you all that no matter what I'm about to tell you, you will not go after Leon. He had the right to be angry."  
  
"Ok, we won't do anything stupid." Sean answered and Kat waited till the other two nodded. Kat failed to notice that Sean had said they wouldn't do anything stupid, not that they definitely wouldn't go after Leon. Sean wasn't promising that.  
  
"He didn't take it well. He was really mad and told me that was it, he didn't want to have anything else to do wit me." How she managed not to cry she'd never know. Other then she knew if the guys put two and two together that Leon had made her cry they might run off and do something stupid. The guys listened with rapt attention to her tale. Harry noted she left out all the parts where Leon acted like a horse's ass, and she'd been careful to wear her sweater so they wouldn't see the marks. He planned on filling the men in while she went to pack. There was no way he was letting Leon get off as easy as Kat was trying to do.  
  
"So to make a long story shorter, I didn't want to come home cause well, he lives across the street. So Harry's takin' me to Japan with him for a while so I can calm down where I don't have to see him. We leave the day after tomorrow and I'm stayin' wit' Harry till then. But I'll be home when our buying trip's done. I just need some me time ya know?"  
  
The guys nodded. They thought this was a great idea. "And I want a solemn tiger promise you won't give Leon an ass kickin' while I'm gone." They all nodded. They couldn't blame Leon for his anger. They knew that they couldn't hold his anger against Leon, he did have the right to be mad. And of course at that point they didn't know just how he had acted out in his justifiable anger. She went to pack and Harry filled the guys in. He knew they'd only agreed not to beat on Leon because of the details that Kat had left out of the story. Important details in Harry's mind.  
  
"I think you three deserve to know the whole story, not the biased one that Kitten felt the need to tell." Harry went on to tell them everything. "Now, I'm not tellin' you guys to kick his ass, in fact I think you know that even now you know he really, really deserves the ass kickin', Kat would be madder then hell if she came home and found out you'd beaten on him. I guess, in your shoes I might realize that Leon has every right to be angry at you all, but that he deserves a warning that might scare the shit outa him about what happens when someone hurts Kat as badly as this horse's ass did." Harry looked around the room, making eye contact with each of the three men. They all nodded and smiled. If Leon thought that he was scared after they robbed him it wasn't going to be anything compared to how scared he'd be now that he'd dared to fuck with Kat like this. 


	29. Paralell Situations

Chapter 29 - Parallel Situations  
  
Harry and Kat left. Leon watched them load her bags into Harry's convertible and leave. Leon didn't know what was up there. He was sure as hell gonna find out. What was she doin? Running away from her problems again? She'd said she wanted to talk, work things out, and now here she was running away again. That was just how she was, he guessed. Not much that could be done about it. In the back of his mind he knew he wasn't being fair again, knew that he'd told her that he'd never want to see her again. But he still hadn't expected her to up and run off. Maybe Brian would know what was going on. He went in search of Brian.  
  
"Yeah Brian, I'ma be ok." Kat said into Harry's cell phone. "But I'm goin' on that buyin' trip to Japan with Harry. I think it'll be fun and I need the time to, as Harry put it, regroup." She smiled at the man in question. "So I won't be around for a couple weeks most likely. Just look out for him for me ok? I mean if he sees my guys he'd better run. I warned them off but I made the mistake of wearing a tank top out to the car and I think Stacy saw the bruises on my arm. Stacy's the hot head of our group. Think of your Vince, times him by 2 and make him an ex-gang member."  
  
"Shit, that bad?" Brian couldn't imagine Vince times 2.  
  
"That bad and likely worse. And without me around to keep 'em in line.. I don't know what they might do Brian."  
  
"I'll warn him as soon as I see him Kitten."  
  
Leon entered the room and just heard the name Kitten. Brian didn't know Leon was there because the other man had come up behind him and had yet to say anything.  
  
"Ok Brian. I'll see you in like 2 weeks. I.well."  
  
"What is it Kitten?"  
  
"Just tell him I'm sorry. No, don't even bother. Just warn him to avoid the guys for a few days at least, and till I get back to control them if he can. I'll miss you B." She sniffled.  
  
"I'll miss you too Kitten."  
  
"Bye B."  
  
"Bye kid. See you around."  
  
She hung up and looked at Harry. "Well, off to Japan. Home of the Skyline."  
  
"To Japan. Wanna get something to eat before we go home."  
  
"I'd like that Harry." They went to a quiet restaurant where Harry was well known and they got a nice secluded table in the back. After dinner they went to Harry's and watched a funny movie together. They curled up on the couch together and it was just comfortable, they were well matched friends. Harry made her feel safe and she fell asleep during the movie.  
  
"Where's she goin' Brian?"  
  
"None of your business Leon. You've done enough." Brian stated in his best bad cop voice, complete with what he hoped was a menacing hand gesture as he started to walk away.  
  
"It is my god damn business. We need to talk, her and I."  
  
"You did all the fuckin' talkin' you're gonna do wit' her Leon." Brian yelled. "You broke her inside and that's it. You don't deserve her!" Brian pictured the aftermath of what Leon had done to keep him mad at his friend. He kept seeing the little bruises on her arm. Leon had the right to be upset but not to treat Kat how he had. But when Leon was standing in front of him, looking broken himself, and Brian knew what he'd gone through because of what Kat had done, it was hard to hold onto the anger. Reminding himself that Kat was so small, and so.young inside, he guessed, helped him hold on to his anger at Leon. It occurred to Brian that Leon wasn't exactly innocent in the whole crime, robbery scene.  
  
"I don't deserve her? She's the one who did what she did." Leon yelled.  
  
"You fuckin' hypocrite. What about you, 'wheelman'? Huh? If it wasn't for me you'd be rottin' in jail for poppin' fuckin' transfer trucks man. You are so lucky I love Mia and Dom like I do Leon. I threw away my career over you guys. Dom's told me thank you. Even Vince told me he appreciated what I did, but never you! I didn't do it for thanks I know, but Jesus. So after all that you did, and all I had to do to keep your ass outta jail, why are you some sorta saint after that, but she's an evil bitch?"  
  
Leon hung his head. He'd never seen Brian this mad. Brian was always cool about everything. Dom was right; it was Brian's meal ticket. It was what kept him alive as a cop and what helped him win races but he was far from cool right now. "You've hurt her enough, she's gone and that's all you need to know. And you know what makes it worse?" Leon shook his head no. "After all you did to her, she told me to tell you she's sorry, again. Oh then she told me not to bother, but she thought of it, and told me to protect you from her guys because the ass kicken' they're bringin' your way is the kind that." Brian lowered his voice menacingly, "is the kind that ended Dom up in jail. And she wants me to protect you from it."  
  
"She wasn't gonna tell me Brian. She was never goin' to tell me." A lot of the anger leached out of Leon with Brian's impassioned speech. Brian was totally correct about the fact that Leon had pretty much done the same thing to people that Kat had done to him and he'd never thought twice about it after the fact. It still hurt that Kat had never planned on trusting him enough to come clean to him. Of course, he'd proven her lack of trust had been totally smart today, hadn't he?  
  
"I know, but damn Leon. You broke her heart. I don't think I wanna be around you right now." Brian moved to leave.  
  
"Where is she?" Leon asked, in a calm, sad voice.  
  
"Gone." Came Brian's only answer.  
  
"God Damn it Brian. Where is she?" Leon shouted, spinning Brian back around to face him and shaking Brian by the tops of his arms. The only way to fix this was to go find her and spill his heart to her. He had to tell her everything. It was the only way to make this better. He had to make this better.  
  
"She's at Harry's. Don't even think of goin' over there. Harry's just as out for your blood as Kat's guys. You know that Harry said if it came down to it the team wasn't welcome at the store anymore, that he'd rather protect Kat from you then have our business."  
  
Dom had heard the whole conversation from the hall, including the part where someone was out to beat Leon as bad as Dom himself had beaten Linder. "What the fuck happened today?" Brian looked over his shoulder like 'oh hell'. Dom hated it when anyone talked about Kenny Linder.  
  
"Why don't you field that one Leon, since this is your fuck up not mine for once?" Brian said sarcastically as he turned to leave the room. "And I meant what I said. You stay the fuck away from Kat. Let her alone Leon. You owe her that much." With that Brian went in search of Mia, the only one who could calm him down.  
  
"Well, Leon. I need answers as to why I may not be welcome to shop at the main parts supplier in southern California over something you did, and why thugs are looking to beat you up in ways that still haunt me for what I did years later." Dom was very curious as to what this was all about.  
  
"Well, Dom. You were right. Kat and her team meant trouble. But I couldn't listen. I had to have her. Well, her and her team are the four people who robbed me. I figured it out today and flipped out at her. I dragged her out of 'The Racer's Edge' by the arm, bruised her, called her down to the lowest and then called her down even lower. Told her she lived in a fairytale world where everything went her way, she got everything she thought she wanted and someone else cleaned up all her messes. I basically broke her down to the point that she snapped and told me in very graphic detail what she'd seen and that it got to the point once that she'd tried to end her life. Then I left. And now she packed her bags and left with Harry."  
  
"Well, damn Leon. She wasn't ever gonna tell you what she'd done?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Then she had it comin' didn't she?" Leon took the easy way out that Dom offered him.  
  
"Yeah I guess she did." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He didn't believe that himself anymore, he could tell Dom didn't buy it either, but wanted to try to cheer him up some.  
  
"As long as you don't get your ass kicked into next month over it." Dom laughed, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"Yeah, well, after everything I did to her she begged her guys not to hurt me." Leon looked up and all the pain and guilt at what he had done was reflected in his green eyes.  
  
"Shit, she did? Why? Letty'd be beggin' someone to kick my ass."  
  
"I know it. I told you, it was like I broke somethin' inside a'her. She agreed that she was a horrible person after I said it to her. I don't know what to do to make this better dawg."  
  
"Nothin' Leon. Nothin' you can do. Get over it. She wasn't the girl for you." Dom walked out of the living room. He was worried about opening his door someday and having people on the stoop waiting to get Leon. He was pretty mad at Leon inside for both bringing this trouble to them and for hurting a woman in such a way, but seeing the state the other man was in he didn't want to push his luck saying anything. He'd told Leon time and time again not to get involved with Kat. And this was why. And damn it, Dom had just been starting to get to like Kat in a small way. And Dom couldn't agree with anyone being intentionally mean someone so much smaller then them. He was mad at Leon, but he'd also finally realized that what Leon did with his life was also really none of his business unless Leon asked him to make it his business.  
  
Leon had to see her. He'd seen the disappointment in Dom's eyes. Dom was disappointed in Leon over what he'd heard, and he didn't even like Kat. He knew what Brian said but maybe just maybe if he saw her, told her how sorry he was then everything would be ok. But he didn't really want to have to say he was sorry. He wasn't sure he should have to, even now. But what Brian had said about how they'd been robbing trucks and never thinking of the drivers and how they'd feel after they woke up hit home. Plus the fact that Brian had had to give up his career to keep all their asses out of jail. Those men hadn't mattered to him. After all, he just drove a car along side the truck to try and keep it going the way they wanted it to go. Vince was the one that had to deal with the truckers and the whole thing had been Dom's bright idea. But they'd all had a part, just like Kat had stood back and watched, she'd never really done anything to him. But could she forgive him? He thought he had to find out. He got in his car and headed to Harry's. He'd been there with Brian once.  
  
He walked up the front walk and as he did he looked into the living room window. There was Kat and Harry, curled up together on the couch. Leon did a double take. Harry wouldn't like Kat like that would he? No, he couldn't, she was too young. Harry wasn't some sort of pervert, plus Kat had just had a major emotional trauma. Just as Leon went to continue up the walk Harry stood up and picked Kat up. He carried her up the stairs and never came back down. It was obvious that Kat had been asleep, but Harry never came back. Leon left as quickly as he came, not knowing what to believe about what he'd seen. 


	30. What if she's the one?

Chapter 30 - What if she's the one?  
  
AN: Hey all. Not much to say, love to all my regulars and hello's to all the newbies. :) BridgetLyn, it is so cool you like Lucy Mod. I'm from PEI, and so was she. Cool no? Anne was set in and around Cavendish Prince Edward Island and I spent my summer getting drunk there. ;) Well, partying at least. Just found that cool. Hope you still enjoy my story as it unfolds. Just to lay any feelings of it to rest, Harry is not a perv. He's just looking out for his Kitten. Now on with the story.  
  
He knew that Dom had said that Kat wasn't the girl for him. But the thing that was making Leon panic was the knowledge that she was the girl for him but he'd gone and screwed it up. Since he'd never, in all his time picking up women ever wanted one for more then one night, how could she not be special? She'd made him want to give up his player ways and stay only with her.  
  
What if there really only was one person in the world for everyone and he'd finally found his in Kat after years of searching through random blonde chicks and then he'd lost her before he'd ever really had her? He didn't know what to do, and he didn't have anyone to turn to. Dom was just as happy that Kat was out of their lives, Jesse would not doubt share Brian's anger over what Leon had done, just based on how mean he'd been to Kat and how much Jesse liked her. Brian still acted like he wanted to start throwing punches if they were in the same room and Leon had seen the disappointed look on Mia's face. Vince might listen to him, might understand after what he'd gone through with his own Ex, but Vince and Kat hadn't really gotten along either, ever since the word's they'd exchanged in front of the Racer's Edge that first day.  
  
Leon had no where to go and no one to turn to. He drove around aimlessly for awhile then went home and went to bed. Sleep was a long time coming and he had vivid nightmares all night about Kat. He couldn't stop worrying that he might have driven her to try to harm herself again by what he'd said. He'd never be able to live with himself again if he had. He felt so guilty; he didn't know how he was going to move on from this. And he didn't know if he wanted to. He couldn't get the thought that Kat could have been 'the one' out of his head and if he'd messed up his only chance to be with that one special person he'd be left with another stream of random blonde girls while he looked for her again.  
  
Kat woke up in a strange room the next day and was disorientated for the first few minutes. Then it all came back to her and she had to haul her butt out of bed forcefully. She didn't want to get up. She figured she'd head down to the store for awhile for something to do. She had to stay busy or she'd spend the whole day watching chick flicks and eating junk with Nikki. She checked the clock and saw it was after 11am. Harry would be long gone to the store by now and she had no ride. Her skyline was safely stowed at the Racer's Edge. She got dressed in a pair of grey baggy cotton pants and a little pink tank top and headed downstairs. She headed to the kitchen. Harry'd left her a note on the kitchen table.  
  
"Hey Kat,  
  
It's about time you got up. Ha ha. I bet it's late." He'd drawn a smiley face, and he was right. It was late. She giggled. "Have something to eat, the fridge is full of food, there's gotta be something you like so eat. There's a pool out back. Make yourself at home, don't be shy. You can swim, or watch TV, or just hang out by the pool if you want. Oh, and if you wanna go somewhere, if you have any running around to do before we go, you can use this key and take my 'spare' car out of the garage. Just be good to her. See you for dinner around 7pm. Be good kitty cat.  
  
Love,  
  
Harry."  
  
She smiled. Harry was the best thing that ever happened in her life, outside of her guys and maybe Brian. She wondered what kind of car he'd left her. She could use some new clothes to travel in, maybe a new bathing suit. She didn't know how well the stars and stripes would go over in Japan. She needed a passport. Plus she wanted to go say hi to him at the store. She'd never make it through a day here alone. But first she was having a swim cause the pool looked too good to say no to. She changed into her bikini and dived in. She swam laps for about half an hour and then got out. She washed her hair and got dressed in the same outfit and headed down to the mall. She was gonna buy some new clothes to go with her new outlook on life. More casual, adult stuff. Less barely there skirts and tank tops in her future she felt. She'd some how come past that.  
  
She hit the mall and shopped. But all the clothes she liked were still the funky, kind of show off your body clothes she'd liked before, or the kind of clothes she liked to wear around the cars. She figured that a tiger trying to change its stripes didn't make sense and bought some new clothes in the same style she'd always liked. Some cargo pants and funky tank tops and baby tees and some mini skirts and fitted tops. She did buy one very sophisticated red dress she hoped to get to wear while she was away. She hit the bathing suit store. The clerk came right over to her.  
  
"Can I help you?" The lady asked with a smile.  
  
"I hope so. I need a new bathing suit." Kat answered. "I'm going to Japan for a business/personal trip and I want something a little more adult then my current selection of boy cut bottoms and stars and strips string bikini top." Kat laughed to show she was both serious, but not taking herself too seriously.  
  
"Ok. Well, did you want to stay with a two piece or did you want to look at one piece suits?"  
  
"What do you recommend?" Kat was going to trust the woman's judgment; after all, all she sold was swim suits.  
  
"On you, with your figure and hair, a two piece for sure. You'll have every man at the beach at your feet." The woman smiled, Kat found her to be sincere. Kat blushed; she didn't believe the woman had just complemented her like that. She figured them to be about the same age.  
  
"Thanks. I leave it up to you. You're the expert." Kat smiled.  
  
"You're what, a 4?" The woman asked.  
  
"Naw, a 6." Kat answered.  
  
"If you wear your clothes baggy, maybe. What do you do to stay in shape?" The clerk asked, eyeing Kat's flat tummy. "Don't say nothing or I'll have to kill you." The clerk laughed to show she was joking.  
  
"Well, I'm sorta a mechanic, which is pretty physical, and I'll tell you what else if you promise not to laugh."  
  
"Of course not." The woman smiled encouragingly.  
  
"I dance." Kat looked at her feet.  
  
"What kind of dance do you do?"  
  
"Um, well, dancing, like in clubs." The woman looked at Kat like she wasn't buying that. "Ballet. I also do ballet." She elaborated at the other girls look. Kat was very, very shy of talking about it. Girls like her did not do ballet. Girls like her did bootie shake.  
  
"I love ballet. Where did you learn?"  
  
"New York. I was 14 when I stopped taking lessons but I keep it up at home. I just like to dance you know? My mom was a prima ballerina for a company in New York and she always wanted me to dance too. She went to Juilliard. I was good for my age I guess. I went on pointe at 9. I guess that's early." Kat was still bright red. She didn't know what it was about this other girl that made her open up like this.  
  
"Wow, at 9. I took ballet lessons for years and never got on pointe, you must have been good."  
  
"I guess so." Kat was finding it hard to talk about it. She didn't think that anyone would respect her for it out here, and it made her think of her mom. She missed her mom and if her mom hadn't died none of the recent events in her life ever would have happened.  
  
"Well, I would definitely go with a two piece suit on you. In." the woman cocked her head and studied Kat's complexion. "blue, or red. You could go either way. Or even purple. You want to try on some in each color?"  
  
"Sure." Kat tried on so many bathing suits but she had a great time, listening to the other girl's opinion of each and carrying on with the other girl. She had a good time, not to mention enjoyed shopping for swim suits, something she'd never enjoyed before. She didn't like to show off so much of her body, she thought she was too thin and wasn't ever really happy with how she looked, but she felt the need to dress the way others around her did, and that was why she wore two piece suits. But she liked the girl in the store and believed her when she told Kat what looked good. In the end she couldn't pick between a quite brief purple suit and a more conservative red one so she bought both.  
  
"Listen, it was really nice to meet you. I'm having the week from hell, but you somehow made swimsuit shopping fun for me, you're really nice." Kat felt she had to tell the woman how much her attention had meant to her.  
  
"Well, I enjoyed meeting you Katherine," Kat had felt the need to let this person, who knew she did ballet, and appreciated her for it; call her by her full name. "I'd like to see you again sometime, as a friend."  
  
"I'd like that. I'll be gone for awhile but I can leave you my number and get yours. I don't have a lot of female friends."  
  
"You don't say! Well, I'm Rayelyn, but you can call me Ray, and I'd love to get together some time when you get back. I'll give you my number and you can call whenever you get back and have some free time." Ray couldn't believe such a nice girl, who was the total opposite of stuck up didn't have a lot of friends.  
  
"That sounds super! Thanks again for all your help. Oh and you can call me Kat." Kat left the store on a high note. She really liked Ray and that was a first. She made a girl friend that wasn't a racer chick or a friend from school. She headed out to her loaner car. Harry's baby car, the car he left for her was a cherry, flame red Chevy Chevelle SS convertible. She couldn't believe he was letting her drive it. She put the top down when she got out to the car and headed to the Racer's Edge.  
  
When she pulled up she saw Dom's car out front. She bared her gritted her teeth and hissed at Dom's car, complete with clawing motion in its direction. She almost just headed back to Harry's house. She wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone on Team Toretto. 'But I work here god damn it and no one has the right to scare me out of my workplace' she though, and she really wanted to talk to Harry. She breezed in like she hadn't a care in the world and saw Harry talking to Dom at the counter.  
  
Harry saw her right away and his face broke out in a soft smile for the young lady he saw in front of him. She looked much better then she had yesterday. Happy, almost. She'd fool a lot of people, but not Harry. He could tell Leon was still on her mind.  
  
"Kat! What are you doin' here? I thought you'd just hang out at home today." Harry was worried seeing Dominic would upset her.  
  
"Well, I got bored. I went shopping. I can't believe you left that car for me to use Harry. A cherry, torch red '69 Chevelle convertible. How did you know I had a weakness for old Chevy's huh?" She asked with a smile as Harry pulled her in for a quick hug.  
  
"I didn't. I knew you had a weakness for convertibles since a certain silver one still resides in your garage." Harry laughed at her.  
  
"Well, I had to let Stacy have it once he got attached. The fact that they always let me drive when I'm around and I knew I'd get to keep driving it if we kept it had nothing to do with it. Plus, how often does a girl win a convertible?"  
  
"Not often Kat. Wanna wait for me in the office and I'll be there soon?"  
  
"Sure." She smiled a small, polite smile at Dom for Harry's sake and went into the office, threw herself in Harry's chair and started to play MP3's while she started to do his paperwork. Harry could tell from the way she grooved along and he was secretly glad because he hadn't wanted to do that inventory form.  
  
"So Harry, anyway, I'm sorry that you had to have that happen at your place. I'm totally embarrassed that he acted like that." Dom had to save his ability to shop here. It was the best place for parts in all of California. Harry had deals with company's right in Japan that didn't deal with any other American company's.  
  
"It's ok Dom. I'd like it if you kept Leon away from the store for awhile, even after we come back though. I want Kat to have lots of time to get over what happened."  
  
"I understand Harry. I just hope those friends of hers don't beat him into a grease spot and make this whole discussion moot." Dom could turn on the charm and education when he wanted to.  
  
"I don't think that'll happen Dom. We spoke about it and the most I think Leon has coming is a big scare. They might put the fear of god into him as it were, but I don't think they'll hurt him. But don't tell him that." Harry gave Dom his best killer smile. After all when Dom raced he did have the kids pouring in to buy what he had. But Harry thought Kat had the ability to do that herself once she got back and got back into racing. She needed some practice too, but she was among the best racers Harry'd ever seen.  
  
"Ok, that makes me feel better. I really care about Leon, and I somehow knew that our teams would be trouble for each other." Dom wanted to keep this diplomatic since it was obvious that Harry cared for Kat. "But you know how it is when you fall for someone, you can't always help it."  
  
"So true Dom. I hope this all works out in the end. Poor Kat hasn't had an easy life."  
  
"I know that now. I hope it all works out in the end too. After all, with the party's both our houses are bound to have, I don't want to be hoping they're not calling the 5-0 after every party I have." Dom laughed.  
  
"I see why. Well Dom, thanks for coming down and clearing the air. I think everything's gonna be fine, with time."  
  
"I hope so. See you man. Later Brian." With that Dom left and Harry and Brian entered the office.  
  
"So you couldn't stay away from us for one day, huh Kat?" Brian asked with a smile and held out his arms. Kat gave him a hug.  
  
"Nope. I couldn't. I went shopping all afternoon and I didn't want to go straight back to Harry's so I decided to come down here. I met a girl, at the mall. I never met a nice girl before. Well not since High school. I'ma call her when we get back. I've never had girl friends before that I didn't roll wit in high school."  
  
"That's nice for you Kat. Everyone needs friends in their peer group." Harry answered. Kat hung out and worked some at the store, answering phones and general, light duty stuff. Harry and Brian understood that she needed to keep busy. Harry came to collect her at 7pm. They ran the Chevelle home and then went to dinner in Harry's car. They when home and made it an early night because they had to be at the airport at 10am the next day for their flight.  
  
When Dom got home Leon started to quiz him. "Well, where are they goin'?"  
  
"Leon." Dom sighed. "Why can't you let this go?"  
  
"I just can't Dawg. She's the first girl that I ever really wanted to be with for more then one night and I messed it up. I need to make it better somehow." Leon kept thinking back to his theory that there might only be one right girl for him in the whole universe. If he was right then he needed Kat as much as she needed him. And Kat needed someone. He wanted that someone to be him. Once he'd calmed down he'd realized just how bad he'd screwed up.  
  
"I don't know that you can Leon. For sure you can't till they come back. They're flying out first thing in the morning."  
  
"What'd ya mean flying out?"  
  
"Harry's taken' her to Japan with him on some sort of business trip. They figured the best thing to do for her was get her out of the country away from you for awhile. I don't know if you ever goin' near her again is a good idea Leon."  
  
"Is she seeing Harry, like seeing Harry?" Leon had to know. It'd been eating him since he saw them together at Harry's house. In his heart he knew that Kat and Harry would never have that kind of relationship but a third party had to confirm that for him or he'd go nuts. Dom didn't disappoint him.  
  
"Hell no Leon. Harry's not some perve you know." Dom couldn't believe that Leon would think that.  
  
"Ok. I just had to know. You really just think I should try to move on Dom?"  
  
"Yeah Leon, yeah I do. I just don't see how you can ever fix what you did, and you're from two different worlds." Dom looked genuinely sad for his friend. Leon was such a nice guy. He'd messed this up, sure. But he was generally very nice. He must have been really shook up to have done what he did. And Dom could detect the fear in Leon now, but he didn't know over what. He figured it must be worry about what Kat's friends were likely to do. He didn't know it was cold fear over the thoughts of never seeing or talking to Kat again. Over never getting to make her his girl in every sense there was. Leon continued.  
  
"But how do you get Letty to overlook all the shit you do then?"  
  
"God Leon, there's no comparison. I been wit Letty for years for one thing, you knew this girl all of what, 3 months? Plus, I haven't done anything to hurt Letty this bad since we were young and foolish." Dom knew that Letty should have left him long ago, but Dom was always sorry when he did stuff to hurt Letty. Leon had started out with a really defensive attitude with Kat, and as far as Kat knew Leon had meant every word he said to her. He sure hadn't been sorry about what he'd done. Or not that Kat knew at least. Maybe they could work it out, but Dom didn't see it happening. Dom didn't see how Leon would ever fix this.  
  
"I guess Dawg. So that's it then. I'll write her an apology letter when she comes back and then try to forget her."  
  
"It'd be best Leon." Leon just nodded. He didn't want to forget about her, or think he'd never see Kat again. He was genuinely sorry for what he'd done. He thought he might have to go cry. He hated the feeling but he was so upset and depressed over the whole situation that he was really down. He hated himself in that moment for what he'd done. He figured that cosmic paybacks were just a bitch because after all, what he was feeling now was just what he'd made Kat feel like, so maybe it was just karma catching up to him. Someone knocked on the door.  
  
"I'll get it, it's likely my ass kickin'." Leon semi-joked on his way to the door. Dom looked concerned. Leon got up and opened the door. 


	31. Cosmic Paybacks are a bitch

Chapter 31 - Cosmic Paybacks are a bitch  
  
When he opened the door, it was to three angry men. Leon stepped out onto the porch and closed the door. No sense involving the rest of his team. He had this coming. As Brian had said, it was his fuck up. It was almost the first time he'd ever fucked up this bad but yet he had so he was going to take his beating like a man. He hoped they didn't leave him broken and bleeding too much. Sean spoke first.  
  
"I heard what you did to Kat. And I gotta tell ya, I wanna beat you into the ground right now. But because Kat asked me not to, I'm not gonna. But if you ever, ever hurt her again, I'm not gonna beat you, I'ma kill ya. And you better believe dat, Fucker." Sean stepped back. The larger man was clearly having trouble holding on to his promise to his kitten not to start throwing punches. Seeing Leon made him so mad. But he knew that he needed to hold his temper for Kat's sake.  
  
"I'll help him kill ya if you ever, ever hurt our Kitten again." Kale was succinct. He really didn't want to fight Leon, but that didn't mean he wouldn't if the other man didn't learn his lesson right here and now.  
  
"I'ma kill ya if you ever hurt her again." Stacy added. He'd seen the marks on Kat's arm and there was no way he could let the other man off with just telling him off. After all he did have a reputation as a hot headed thug to maintain, plus he felt that Leon had better understand that he couldn't mess with Kat ever again. After his statement he paused, then threw a right hook catching Leon on the chin, and knocking him down. "And I'm not gonna just let it go at that. You had that comin' for how you talked to our princess and for makin her cry." Stacy grabbed Leon by the shoulders and leaned in to talk to him so that only the two of them would hear. "And for grabbin' her. Don't ever touch her in anger again or I'ma start rippin' parts off'o you." He stood up again. "Believe 'dat." He said loud enough for everyone to hear. Stacy turned and walked away and the others followed. He'd had to walk away while he still could, before the lust for the blood of the man who'd hurt his Kat overwhelmed him and their team and Leon's got into an out and out brawl on the lawn.  
  
"Ya wasn't supposed to hit the little homeboy." Sean said to Stacy as they walked home. It had occurred to Sean that Leon was an awful lot smaller then them all, with the exception of Kale, who wouldn't have hit him unless really provoked. Leon could still hear them.  
  
"It was hit him in the face or kill 'im. I figure of the two, punchin' him'll leave Kitten slightly less mad."  
  
"True dat." Kale added. Kat was going to be mad enough Stacy had hit Leon once, let alone if they pounded him the way they wanted too. It did occur to the guys every once in a while that a 19 year old slip of a girl was making decisions for them, but she did have the most level head of the group. Plus they'd give her almost anything she asked for, and stuff she didn't ask for too, if they knew she wanted it.  
  
"Stupid white boy had no idea what he had." Sean said and then they were out of earshot and Leon didn't know what else they said.  
  
The line stupid white boy didn't know what he had hurt like hell. Those guys had all robbed him. At gunpoint none the less and now he was the one who felt like shit, who felt guilty. It wasn't fair. Mia and Jesse came running out of the house.  
  
"Oh my god Leon, are you ok." Mia dropped by his side. Brian hadn't told her what had really happened between him and Kat; she just knew it wasn't right. "Do you want me to get Dom?"  
  
"Naw girl, nothing Dom can do 'bout this. I had it coming. I'm glad he only hit me once. Stacy has one hell of a right hook." Leon rubbed his jaw. It hurt like hell. He'd bet it was going to bruise. That was irony at its best Leon thought with considerable sarcasm.  
  
"How did you have that coming Leon? What did you do to the neighbours?" Mia was looking very concerned.  
  
"I hurt Kat. Beyond hurt her. Crushed her. Was a total ass. Lost her." Leon stood up with Jesse's help and shook his head. Then he moved his jaw from side to side. Not broken thank god.  
  
"How did you hurt Kat Leon?"  
  
"She's the one Mia. Her and her team are the ones that robbed me. And when I figured it out I said horrible things to her. I know I had the right to be angry but not to say what I said. And the worst of it was she was still a lost little girl inside you know, and I made her think she was a horrible person. I'll never live it down with Brian and Harry and now I lost Kat."  
  
"Oh Leon. It can't be that bad. Just tell her you're sorry. You were really messed up after what they did. Just explain that to her and I'm sure it'll all work out." Mia was such a romantic soul, she felt that Kat and Leon were destined to be together and she figured that everything had to work out ok in the end. It was something a friend had told her once, that Leon would find his girl, he just had to wait for her to come along. It seemed obvious to Mia that Kat was the girl so it had to work out. Mia's friend had never to Mia's knowledge been wrong. She continued. "Just talk to her Leon. You're the one with the level head, and the charm, you need to make her see. If she really is like you say then she needs you. You're the one she needs to take care of her. You'll make her see." Mia smiled gently at him, she always could see inside him. Sometimes better then he saw inside himself. He should be taking care of Kat, likely should have been for the rest of their lives, but he'd gone and messed it up and he didn't know how to fix it.  
  
"Well, it doesn't matter right now because Harry's taken' her to Japan it seems and she'll be gone for awhile. I'll tell her I'm sorry when she comes home ok?" Leon just wanted to be alone to lick his wounds in private, to be miserable on his own.  
  
"You do that Leon. Let her have her trip to calm down." Mia smiled and went to get the full story from Brian. At the end she wasn't sure if this was fixable. Leon'd been pretty horrid. Mia was going to have a hard time looking at him the same way for awhile. She had always seen Leon as Prince Charming who just slept around quite a bit. He didn't use women, he didn't try to let on to them that he might like them more then he did. He had manners. To find out what Leon had said was very shocking to Mia. It wasn't the Leon she knew. If she didn't know how much more shaken he'd been over what happened then he let on to the rest of the team, to the guys, she'd likely be as mad at him as Brian was. But it was hard to be mad at someone who despite how tough he was woke up terrified for weeks after what they'd done to him. Leon wasn't like Dom and Vince, he hadn't even wanted to get involved in the truck deal, he'd done it to keep Jesse and Letty safe.  
  
Mia was talking about it all to Brian. "Well, we need to fix them back up when she comes back. They're still meant for each other. I mean you know how Leon is, if it wasn't for what she did to him, he'd be the one protecting her from everything himself. That's just how he is. Look how he is with Jesse."  
  
"I don't know if he can fix this Mia. I mean, I'll give you that he has to apologize to her but I don't know if she can forgive him to the extent that she'd need to to ever fall for Leon again. She'd never had a steady boyfriend before and this was one hell of an introduction you know."  
  
"Oh Brian." Mia sighed and put her head on Brian's shoulder.  
  
"We'll do our best Mia, don't be sad." Brian hated to see Mia sad. Maybe Leon could fix things. They'd watched Kat gently freeze out every other guy who'd ever asked her out or showed an interest in her, but Leon had gotten to her. That had to count for something. Brian didn't know how well another relationship between Leon and Kat would go over with Kat's guys either though. They really seemed mad at Leon and Brian didn't want to see Leon hurt, even if he was still mad at his friend.  
  
Kat and Harry were on the plane, first class. Harry knew how to travel, and since it was a business expense, he figured they'd go all out.  
  
"You ever been out of the country before Kat?"  
  
"Nope, this is a first."  
  
"You'll like Japan. They're all skyline crazy too."  
  
"That and s15 silvia crazy." Kat smiled back.  
  
"That too." Harry laughed at her knowledge. She knew so much more then she let on.  
  
They landed in Japan and rented a car. Harry let her drive since she was already use to the 'backwards' car. He was glad to see she knew how to drive in normal traffic. She didn't hotdog it or do anything crazy. She was humoring him, but he knew she was, he was just glad she didn't try to give him an aneurism in the car. They arrived at the hotel and went to their room. They had a two bedroom suite. It was very nice. Harry told her that they had a car show to be at in two hours.  
  
Kat had a swim and then got ready for the car show. She wore a red skirt, it was just above her knees, and a white button up sleeveless shirt. She left her hair down and did a small amount of makeup. She walked out into the sitting room when she was ready. "Is this dressy enough Harry, do I look businesslike?"  
  
"Kitten, it's a car show. You can dress just like you would in the shop. You don't need to dress up. But you look good, if you're comfortable."  
  
"I am."  
  
"Ok then, let's go. You wanna drive?"  
  
"You know it." She laughed. He handed her the keys and they went to the car park. They headed to the show. Harry knew a lot of the sponsors. He was trying to make deals to carry some lines of products that were still only in Japan. He made dinner dates for them for most of the rest of the nights they were there, to talk shop and make deals. He got some of the products he wanted without any more work. He introduced her as a new partner to everyone. Kat blushed at all the attention, and he even told the people about her skyline.  
  
Many of the people couldn't believe she had a skyline to drive and that she tuned it pretty much by herself. Harry was secretly trying to get her sponsors so she could get on NIRA with her car. She'd need a team and sponsors before she could even apply, but he knew that she had her team already and she'd never leave them. He knew that NIRA was her ultimate goal, that she didn't see herself doing anything for a career other then racing. He was making some progress. After all a girl in a skyline that could kick ass was something of a rarity and could draw in a whole new crowd to import racing. And a lot of company's wanted to have their logos on her car.  
  
But the theme was always the same. He was told time after time 'When she is known as the best of LA then bring her back to us'. So Kat would have to beat Dom to get her sponsors. They considered Dom the best in LA, but it was well known that Dom wasn't allowed to race Pro in any way. Harry didn't know if Kat could beat Dom or not. If he was here getting sponsors for Dom, Dom's car would be so covered in decals that the paint wouldn't show. It wasn't really fair but it was a fact.  
  
They were just standing talking to someone Harry knew when a man walked up to Kat.  
  
"Hello Miss."  
  
"Hiya." Kat answered him back. She didn't know anyone in Japan so she didn't know what the man could want.  
  
"Are you the girl who races the black R34 in the USA?"  
  
"That's me. How'd you know?" She wondered where this could be going.  
  
"The man Harry told us. Would you do me the honor of being in a picture of my car?" He asked hopefully.  
  
Kat couldn't believe he wanted her to model for him. A crowd formed and the general theme was this magazine, and that person wanted to have a picture of the girl who raced a skyline in the USA with this car and that car. Kat laughingly agreed to them all. They gave her a skimpy outfit, like all import models wore. It would not normally be something she would do, but she was here to have fun and people wanting her to model was quite novel to her in itself. She did pose after pose by car after car in a little plaid schoolgirl skirt and a white sleeveless shirt not unlike her own, only it was tied right under her breasts. The skirt was cut as low as was decently possible and they gave her stockings and knee high boots to wear too. By the end of the car show she was tired out, she'd posed beside cars in the show for the owners and organizers and by cars in the show for magazines, and by cars for the general public who wanted to take pictures. She figured she'd been in more pictures in one day then she'd been in for her whole life up to that point. It was confusing to her why they'd even wanted pictures of her when so many beautiful Japanese girls had already been at the show for the sole purpose of modeling.  
  
She let Harry drive them back to the hotel. "All those people wanting me to model for them was hella weird Harry." She really didn't get it.  
  
"Not really, you're a pretty girl, who drives and races their best sports car. I think you're gonna be embarrassed when you see how many of those pics end up in the American versions of these mags too. Plus you're different looking then most of the girls they get around the car shows over here and you race. You're not just another pretty face as it were."  
  
"I'm not a pretty face at all, but I guess I am different looking from the Japanese girls. Oh, and the pictures in the American additions of the magazines'll never happen Harry." She laughed.  
  
"You'll see." Harry winked at her. "Oh, and if you beat Dom, you've got NIRA. I've got more sponsors then you'll ever need if you can just beat Dom."  
  
"Harry how'd you manage that?" Kat was flabbergasted. She was speechless and Harry couldn't remember the last time that had ever happened.  
  
"You're the best, now you gotta prove it. Company's want to sponsor people who're gonna bring attention to their product. You proved today you can do that. You can even model your own car."  
  
"Harry. I can't believe it. Dom Torreto was next on my list anyway but you better believe I'ma beat him now. NIRA's what I wanted since I got into racing."  
  
"I figured. I hope you don't forget me when you're a famous racer on the pro circuit."  
  
"I'll never forget you Harry. I'll be working at the Racer's Edge for the rest of my life if you'll have me."  
  
"You'll always have a place with me and my store Kitten, but you won't always want it."  
  
"Yes I will." She said, in the tone that left no room for arguments. She gave him a quick hug at a red light and they continued home to the hotel. 


	32. Tears in the rain

Chapter 32 - Tears in the rain.  
  
The rest of her first two weeks in Japan seemed to pass in a blur of dinners out, meeting people, having Japanese business associates of Harry's give her gifts, some of them very expensive, but Harry told her that was a custom here and to refuse to accept was rude so she needed to buy a new suitcase to get the stuff all home, swimming and carrying on with Harry, shopping, and more modeling of imports. Every major mag in Japan wanted to do a spread on her, some bigger then others. Harry surprised her because he'd shipped her car over so they could do the spreads on her with her own car in them. And he made sure they knew that she'd built it and painted it. Kat had the best time. All these magazines wanting to do articles on her and let her do her own modeling was a big confidence booster. She hardly had time to miss Leon from her life. She thought of him sometimes in her downtime, but she didn't have much of that.  
  
One night she went for a walk on the beach that was right behind the hotel. It was very windy that night. She turned into the wind and it whipped her hair straight back behind her. She curled her toes into the warm sand and held her arms out to the sides like she was flying and leaned into the wind. It was almost like she was totally weightless. The water looked like a piece of black velvet with diamonds randomly tossed onto it. In that moment, with the wind holding her up and the warm sand under her feet she was happy. Then she thought to herself how nice it would have been to share this trip with Leon, how she wished he was there and made herself cry. The wind took the tears and flew them off her cheeks and then they were tossed to the 4 corners of the earth on the breeze.  
  
She lay in the sand then and looked up at the stars. They were so beautiful. She wondered if there was anyone else on other planets looking up at a star that was earth thinking about the same things she was. She did the math and realized it was about lunchtime back in the USA. She wondered what everyone back home was doing. She lay in the sand for more time then she should of but yet not nearly enough to get things straight in her mind before pulling herself up and heading back to her room.  
  
Leon looked out the window of the shop around lunch time and saw that the day that had dawned clear, sunny and perfect had since clouded over and it was pouring down rain. It hadn't even been supposed to rain that day. Leon muttered to himself about the stupid weatherman and ran out to close the windows on his car as Dom and Vince did the same thing.  
  
They ended up staying three weeks in Japan. Harry was ecstatic over the results. He got all his deals and the Racer's Edge was going to have a lot of exclusive products. She got pre releases of some of the mags and was totally shocked at how she looked. Embarrassed too, but pleased in a way. She looked like a professional model. Well, not really pretty enough to be one in her mind, but she looked good. And the skyline looked great. They shipped it home a week before they left so it would be waiting for her when she got there. On the plane ride home she was relaxed and happy. She wasn't looking forward to the inevitable meeting she was bound to have with Leon, but she figured she could get through that now. She'd grown in these three weeks. Knowing that she could make NIRA, and that people thought she was pretty and girly enough to model cars, and not just her own had restored her confidence.  
  
"You ready to be home sweetheart?" Harry asked her when they were almost home.  
  
"Yep, I am. I've grown Harry."  
  
"Yes you have. You're a lovely young woman, who's goin' straight to the top of the import scene in LA when she gets home. You've got it made. Just don't forget me and the Racer's Edge when you're famous." Harry smiled at her. He hadn't told her because he didn't want her to flip, but her and her car were both going to be on the cover of 'Import Tuner' and she was getting invited to Hot Import Nights to show her car. It needed some work to be perfect enough but Harry'd help her. He'd tell her after they landed and she couldn't run back to Japan. She was going to want to, he figured.  
  
"Fat chance. I'ma put the Racer's Edge logo right on the front of the car, right where the front plate should be."  
  
"You'd do that?"  
  
"Harry, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have a chance at NIRA."  
  
"I hope you feel the same way after I tell you what I need to tell you."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Wait till we're in the car." She barely contained herself till they had his Mercedes out of long term parking.  
  
"Well."  
  
"You're gonna be on the cover of 'Import Tuner' with your car, and featured in it. And you and Sean get full credit for the build. Oh and your invite to compete in 'Hot Import Nights' when they hit LA is in the mail." Harry waited for the blowup. He figured she'd be pissed at him.  
  
"I'ma be in 'Import Tuner'?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"And invited to compete in 'Hot Import Nights'? Not just be there but compete?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Holy shit." She squealed in delight.  
  
"You're not mad."  
  
"Hell no. I mean, Dom's not banned out of a magazine or a car show, but he's never been asked to do either and I get to do both." She was happy even if it meant that she had to be the center of attention.  
  
"You got a shot at a first or second at import nights too, but your car does need some work. But Brian and I'll help you with it. We'll get started right away. Import nights is right after race wars."  
  
"But I wanted to compete in the desert this year Harry." Kat looked slightly crestfallen at the thought of missing wars.  
  
"Well, go ahead. Just don't mess up that paintjob. Oh and you're stereo and ICE need to be upgraded, but I'll sponsor that for you, since you promised me a sweet spot for my logo on your car."  
  
"Harry. I think I love you. You are awesome."  
  
"Aw thanks. See if you still feel that way when I'm making you slave over your paint finish and stuff for the show. You have a first in you and I don't want to see you sell yourself short."  
  
Kat wanted to surprise the guys so she changed into the outfit she wore for the car modeling then they headed to her house. She bounded out of the car and up to the front door. Harry got out of his car grinning at her enthusiasm. She threw open the door and called out.  
  
"Guys, we're home." They came out of the backyard.  
  
"Kitten!" Sean exclaimed and opened his arms to her. She ran into them and gave him a hug, then got a hug from Stacy and Kale.  
  
"What the hell are you wearin' girl?" Stacy asked.  
  
"I wanted to show you what I did." She said enigmatically and then held out the copies of the articles that she already had. Kale took the stack and started to look.  
  
"You're in all these magazines." Kale looked puzzled.  
  
"Yep, they wanted me to model for them, and Harry had the skyline flown over so it could be featured. Thank god those are all Japanese magazines and they don't get sold over here. But Harry and I have some even better news, but it can't leave this house yet." She gave them all her stern look, then cracked up at the look on their faces.  
  
"What's the better news Kitten?" Stacy asked, he wanted to let her be happy before she found out he'd decked the punk.  
  
"I'ma be in 'Hot Import Nights' with my car, and on the cover of, get this, 'Import Tuner'!" She squealed and did a little dance. "Harry somehow hooked me up while I was in Japan."  
  
"No way!" Sean couldn't believe it.  
  
"Wow." Kale was surprised.  
  
"Tell them what else Kitten." Harry reminded her.  
  
"Oh yeah, how could I forget, the best part of all is, If I beat Dominic, I got NIRA. Harry got me all the sponsors I need if I prove I'm the best in LA. And to do that all I gotta do is beat Dom."  
  
"That's great!" Sean shouted and hugged her again. "So I guess you had a good trip then?" He asked rhetorically. She just nodded anyway. "I'ma wash my car now." She said and ran off to change. 


	33. Let the games begin

Chapter 33 - Let the Games Begin.  
  
AN: Hey all. Not much to say. Please read and Review. Oh, favour time. Please go read Returning by Ubiquitous-Angel. It's mad good. I swear. Don't forget to leave me a review before you go read her stuff. Hope you all enjoy. Peace, Tempest.  
  
Leon had been outside with Vince in the driveway, doing some little thing to Vince's car when they got home. He'd seen the way Kat had been dressed. And she'd seemed happy, bubbly. Back to the way she was before, as the team had been putting it, what Leon did. He wondered what was up with the outfit, and he saw Vince checkin' her out too.  
  
"Wow, did Kat enroll in catholic school while she was gone." Vince growled out, trying not to drool.  
  
"How would I know?" Leon answered testily and turned back to the Maxima. "You wanna fix this car or what?"  
  
"Testy huh? I guess three weeks later you're still not over her like you want us all to think eh?"  
  
"Shut up." It was so reminiscent of that day, so long ago, before all the shit went down and everything changed, when Leon told Vince he had known the car had issues in third and Vince told him to shut up, while under the hood of the same car, they both cracked up. Life would go on, it always did. Leon had decided that Kat was better off without him in her life. She was clearly happy and he'd just fuck that up on her again. He resolved to leave her alone.  
  
"I'm not over her Vince, to be honest, but she's better off without me, without all the shit this team'll bring her way."  
  
"You mean that?"  
  
"Yeah, I do."  
  
"Leon, you gotta make up with the blonde chica. You moped around here the whole time she was gone. This team can only have one person like that and I got dibs on the spot." Vince grinned.  
  
"Ol' Coyote, you and I are two of a kind, we both had what we wanted and fucked it up." Leon shook his head. Vince hung his.  
  
"Yep, we're both certifiable idiots." Vince sighed.  
  
"True dat." Leon said and then they both laughed. They were idiots, but they were gonna live.  
  
Kat was washing the skyline. It was august and it was not supposed to be her job. She was sort of saddened by that thought. It should be her and Leon doing this. He should be giving her that stare that let her know he loved how she looked in her old stars and strips but hated to share the view with other guys and she should be getting him wet enough to get him to take off his ever present jersey tank top. She sniffled and then told herself to suck it up. Stacy walked out of the house.  
  
"Kitten, I got somethin' ta tell ya, I'm sorry you're not gonna like it." Stacy tried to look sorry. Tried and failed, but he still tried.  
  
"What is it Stace?"  
  
"I hit the punk."  
  
"What'd ya mean? Who's the punk?"  
  
"Whitebread, what's his name, the buster from across the street. You know, the punk." Stacy sighed. "Leon? I think his name was Leon."  
  
"You hit Leon?" Kat said in her best mad voice. "I told you to leave him alone!"  
  
"I know, we went to just warn him off you but I was so mad, I saw what he did to your arm and while I was in his face I couldn't help it. Sean and Kale both told him to watch his back, then I hit him with a right hook right in the chin." Stacy smiled at the memory. "I'm sorry, I shouldn'ta done it when you asked me not to." He tried to wipe the grin off his face, it didn't happen.  
  
"Oh Stacy. You didn't tell Sean what you saw did you?"  
  
"Hell no. I know I'm the hot tempered one but damn Kitten. When it comes to you I think we'd be scraping the punk off Sean's knuckles still if he'd seen what that buster'd done to you."  
  
"Oh thank god you didn't tell him. And thanks."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For hitting the, what are you callin' him? The punk? Thanks for hittin' the punk. I think he deserved it." Kat lifted her chin.  
  
"Atta girl. He did deserve that and more, but I thought you'da been mad if I pounded him."  
  
"Oh I woulda been. But Damn Stacy, your right hook is as weak as mine." She squealed and ran as Stacy started to chase her. He chased her right down the street. She was like a red white and blue streak she could run so fast, Stacy caught her but she made he work for it. He dragged her home and held her against her car while he sprayed her with cold water from the hose and made her scream. Her scream brought Kale and Sean out of the house and they had a big water fight on the lawn.  
  
Leon, Jesse and Vince watched from the driveway. Leon looked on wistfully and the other two smiled at her antics.  
  
A week after Kat came home, true to Harry's word, the new additions of the magazines for the import scene came out and sure enough Kat and her car were in most of them, even in the US. Kat didn't know because to tell the truth, she was avoiding the news stands. She was going to die of embarrassment if her picture was all over magazines. The day after they all came out every racer in LA was in trying to get her to sign their copies of the magazines and she couldn't pretend not to know about it any longer.  
  
Kat was signing them, she was flattered, if embarrassed, and she threw Harry a look that clearly said if you didn't want this to happen you shouldn't have made me do all that modeling. Harry just shook his head with a smile and went back to helping customers. At least a lot of the people who came to see Kat bought stuff.  
  
The Toretto's were working in their garage when Mia walked out back.  
  
"Mails here. It's that time you've all been waiting for. New issue car magazine day." Mia said with a smile and threw down the mail onto the hood of Dom's car.  
  
"Bout time." Dom growled. "I think the mail man reads these first or somethin'. Why else would they come late and all at once?"  
  
"Don't know dawg, but I been waiting to see the new 'Import Tuner'. I heard they profiled an R34 in it and its one sweet ride." Leon said and looked for the magazine in question. "Hey, we didn't get the new 'tuner?"  
  
"Oh, did we ever. Sweet R34 isn't the word for what this article is profiling." Jesse said with some drool starting. "Sweet ass bitch in the picture too." Leon grabbed for the magazine but Jesse tossed it and Vince got it first. He got it open to the right page and looked.  
  
"Holy shit Jesse. You ain't kidden' Brotha. Wait a second." Jesse hadn't picked up on who was in the pictures of the car, but Vince did. And then he read the article just to be sure.  
  
"That's no bitch Jesse. Um, Dom, you wanna see this brotha?" Vince didn't know if letting Leon see this was a good idea. He figured they could play keep the 'tuner away from Leon and let Dominic decide.  
  
"Yeah sure." Dom laughed, catching on to the don't let Leon see it cause he really wants to game. Vince again tossed the magazine over Leon's head to Dom, who caught it. Leon looked like the middle kid in that game they'd played as kids. "Holy shit! Is that."  
  
"Yeah it is." Vince stated with a shit eating grin and laughed.  
  
"Shit that's fine." Dom laughed out. Dom had known Kat looked ok in her everyday racer chick clothes but she was hot as hell in that outfit. Letty snatched the magazine away from him.  
  
"Let me see that. Damn!" Letty looked at Leon and laughed. He was gonna be pissed. She found this whole situation so funny she couldn't even be mad at Dom for saying Kat was fine and looking at the pictures the way he had. Leon was coming at her. She giggled and then tossed the book to Mia over Leon's head. "Look at page 24." Mia looked.  
  
"Hot Damn." Mia's eyes went wide when she realized who that was lying on top of her car's roof, wearing a very short plaid skirt and next to non existent little white top, rubbing her stomach suggestively, hair trailing down the windshield. The camera was above her looking down on her and it looked good, but very sexy, as spreads in these import mags often were.  
  
"Ok, everyone but me and Brian saw that now and since Brian isn't here, and I'm the one who really likes skylines, can I have the magazine now?" Leon wanted to see the article and he was very curious as to what they saw that was making them all so shocked. He was also sick of walking up to them just to have them throw the magazine over his head to each other. He felt like a dumb ass trying to snatch the book out of the air. He waited for Mia to hand it over.  
  
"Um I don't know Leon. Maybe you shouldn't see this. You might get jealous." Mia said. Leon thought she looked sincere.  
  
"Well, maybe, since that car is rumored to be the R34 GT-R, but I'll live."  
  
"Mia, give him the magazine." Dom said with a sigh and Mia tossed it over to him.  
  
"Don't say we didn't warn you brotha." Vince added and Jesse looked confused.  
  
"Oh my god." Leon breathed out. "That's Kat's car. Kat got her car in the 'Import Tuner'." Leon looked again. "Holy fuck, that's Kat! She's modeling her own car." Leon was shocked. That was Kat in the 'Import Tuner'. He wanted to go and beat something. She was in a magazine wearing next to nothing showing off her car; Leon knew what was on the minds of guys who looked at the girls in these magazines. The rest of the team shared a look. If Leon wasn't ready to share Kat with the world like this then he was far from over her. Let the games begin.  
  
"Damn, how did that girl get her car into the holy grail of import car mags and I can't even get them to talk to me and I run one of the best performance garages and run street racing in LA." Dom found it frustrating. Jesse had stolen the magazine back off Leon to do a second look at the picture.  
  
"Holy shit that is Kat." Jesse laughed. "And they called her a sex kitten in the article." Jesse crowed. "Her friends call her Kitten and the article calls her a sex kitten."  
  
"We get it Jesse." Letty sighed at the look on Leon's face.  
  
"Hey, she mentions me and DT in here." Jesse told them, reading the article. "She says that while her and her best friend Sean did most of the work all alone Jesse Ames and DT performance automotive helped her out with some of the engine management system setups. She goes on to say from what she knows we're the best in California." No mention of Leon but Jesse figured that the group would figure that out on their own.  
  
"Wow, she mentioned us and my garage. That was really nice of her considering that we didn't really do anything official for her. I'ma try to find out from Brian how she managed this though." Dom said and went to his office to use the phone.  
  
"I guess she didn't spend too much time after she left being upset over what she did, and what happened." Missing me, he thought but left that part unsaid. The rest of the team got it, even if he didn't say it. He was sort of disappointed inside. He'd hoped that she'd missed him and they'd have a chance to talk about things, he was so messed up inside over this all. He warred between wanting to go get her and talk about everything, see if they could work it out, and then figuring she was better off on her own, with out him.  
  
"The Racer's Edge, Kat speaking." Kat was on phone duty today since she could do that and still sign the magazines.  
  
"Yeah, is Brian there?" Dom wanted to see if Brian had the info on this whole situation.  
  
"No Dom, he's not. Did you wanna leave him a message? To phone home or somethin'?" Kat recognized Dom's voice right away. She wondered what he wanted.  
  
"Naw, that's fine." Dom decided to try and play nice since it was clear that Kat and Leon had to work out their issues or neither was gonna be happy. "Congrats on getting your car in the Import Tuner. That's quite an accomplishment." Plus he might get the answer he wanted right from the source.  
  
"Thanks, Harry arranged that some how. I don't know what he did. I just went along for the ride. He kept me busy the whole time we were away. I didn't think my pictures would end up in American issues. I thought it would only go in the Japanese editions. I can't tell you how embarrassed I am to see myself like that." Dom could hear the discomfort in her voice, she really didn't want other people seeing her like that.  
  
"Oh, I see. This your modeling debut?"  
  
"Oh yeah. I didn't even wanna do it but Harry wanted me to and it kept me busy. I get so embarrassed when I think about how I look in those things. I just hope that people don't think I'm some Barbie when I race next." Kat blew hair off her face.  
  
"I'm sure you'll be fine if you smoke 'em like you smoked Ricky Tran."  
  
"You heard 'bout that huh?"  
  
"Yeah, not much in the street racing world gets past me."  
  
"I guess not." Kat laughed.  
  
"Say, thanks for mentioning Jesse when they asked you about your car. He's really excited that you mentioned him and the garage."  
  
"No problem Dom. It'd be like lying not to tell the whole story of the car, plus Jesse's something else." Kat smiled at the thought of Jesse and her working on her car that one time. Jesse was the most genuine person she knew.  
  
"Well, still, thanks for that. I mean, everyone reads this magazine."  
  
"Don't think about it again Dom. Hey, Brian's back, you wanna talk to 'im?"  
  
"Yeah, that'd be great."  
  
"Brian, phone. It's Dominic." He heard her call.  
  
"What's up bro?"  
  
"Nothin' I just called to get the scoop on how Kat ended up in the 'tuner, but I got the story from her. I just don't want her to know that's the only reason why I called." Dom admitted.  
  
"Ok, sure, tell Mia I'll be home for sure." Brian answered, playing along with Dom.  
  
"Thanks Brian."  
  
"Sure, see you later bro." Brian answered with a smile at Dom's discomfort.  
  
Kat looked at Brian. "So, did you read it?"  
  
Brian smiled at the nervous mixed with embarrassment look on Kat's face. "Yeah I read it. It turned out good. Why are you so embarrassed over it?"  
  
"Cause of how I look in the pictures. I just did what they told me to but it came out looking so, sleazy." She shuddered.  
  
"You don't look sleazy. You look good." Kat smiled at him in thanks. "Oh, and thanks for giving the shout out to Jesse and the garage. Dom'll appreciate that and Jesse'll be thrilled to see his name in the Import Tuner. He's finally getting some credit for his awesome work."  
  
"Well, like I told Dom, I just told the whole truth. That's only fair."  
  
"Yeah, but you coulda just said nothing and Dom and the guys all know that."  
  
"Well, I'm glad that it made Jesse happy. He's a great kid and an awesome mechanic."  
  
"Yeah, he is." Brian gave her a wink and walked into Harry's office.  
  
Talking about this all made her think again of what had gone down. She was losing it again. She needed to ground herself. She thought about how to do that and then it hit her.  
  
Brian walked into Harry's office. "Hey Harry."  
  
"Hey Brian. How's it goin'?"  
  
"Great. So what's left to get done today?"  
  
"Nothin Brian, I got it covered."  
  
"Sweet, I'll go home to Mia then."  
  
"Sure, see you tomorrow."  
  
"See you tomorrow." Brian turned to leave. "Say Harry?"  
  
"Yeah Brian?"  
  
"Kat seems happier now doesn't she? She's really gonna be alright isn't she?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Well Brian. She's gonna be alright, but she's not as happy as she lets on. She's putting up a brave front for us. Oh I'll admit that while we were away she was almost back to her old self again, but I kept her so busy I don't think she had time to be sad. Now she's home and she's got free time again and I think she starts to think about it now and again. Plus she's gonna see this guy around."  
  
"Yeah." Brian sighed and ran his hand though his hair. "And Leon thinks that she had a great time while she was gone and she didn't even spare him a thought. He thinks she's over what she did and it doesn't matter to her anymore." Brian faced Harry and looked the other man in the eye.  
  
"Well, she's still guilty as hell over what happened. She's gonna have to have it out with Leon. I just don't know if sooner or later is better." Harry moved some papers on his desk. "I don't want to see her relive it but I don't see how she'll ever move on if her and Leon don't come to some sort of understanding."  
  
"I know. I just don't know how that's gonna work out if he thinks she's totally over him and doesn't even think about what she did anymore and if she refuses to see him."  
  
"It'll have to work itself out anyway Brian. There's nothing we can do to force it."  
  
"You're right of course, Harry. See you tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, see you Brian. Oh, and you might want to tell Leon, as for Kat not thinking about it and not caring about it, she cried herself to sleep most nights we were gone. I just didn't want her to know I knew, so that's never to make it back to her ears."  
  
"That helps Harry. Thanks." Harry just gave Brian a tight smile and went back to his papers. Brian left. Harry looked at Kat waiting on someone a few minutes later and she was laughing at something one of the guys had said. If you didn't know her you'd be fooled into thinking everything was perfect in her life. People who really knew her knew her laugh was a little forced, a little louder then normal, she didn't throw her head back quite as far, didn't light up the room like it had before. Harry sure hoped she got over Leon. She had this funny way with the guys who came into the store, like they all chatted her up with the objective of getting to go out with her, but by the time she was done with them they saw her as a cool chick who they'd like to be friends with but couldn't imagine being more then that to. Harry didn't know how she did it. Leon was the only guy who ever got past that act into her heart, and Harry didn't know how Leon had done that, but it was evident to Harry that they were meant to be together. 


	34. Tough as she has to be

Chapter 34 - Tough as she has to be  
  
Kat got off work and went to her old hood. She wanted to think and walking around this neighbourhood often put things in perspective for her. She walked past her old house and down the street. She stopped out front of a two story brick business. She looked up at the sign. She was just standing there wondering if she should go in and say hi when a small, old, black woman with a bun of grey hair wound loosely on the top of her head came out and stood on the step. "Katherine, as I live and breath." She grinned at her former pupil. "I haven't seen you here in, what now, a year?"  
  
"It has to be at least that long Mrs. B." Kat answered back. "I moved and we hit some hard times before then."  
  
"Come in Kat, come visit with me for awhile." The woman opened the door and motioned Kat inside. Kat preceded her into the building into the one main room of the bottom floor. She could smell the familiar scent of wood polish; the room was slightly musty in the way that old wood always had this great smell, the smell of old but well cared for and well loved floors and furniture. There was a wall of windows at the far end, two walls of mirrors and a piano. This was where she had used to sneak to practice her dance. Very few people knew about her Ballet and those who knew she'd danced back in New York all thought she'd given it up. She used to come down here and take lessons from Mrs. B. No one knew that.  
  
"Still the same studio." Kat smiled. "How many students you have these days?"  
  
"Not as many as I'd like but enough." The woman said with a small smile. "You're having troubles of some sort aren't you Katherine?"  
  
How did she do that, Kat wondered. Mrs. B always knew when she was down. "Yeah, how'd you guess?" She asked the older woman with a smile.  
  
"You always come down here for the first time when I haven't seen you in forever when you're having a hard time. So what's the matter Kitten?"  
  
"Man trouble." Kat tried to smile.  
  
"Oh, some young man has finally taken your heart then?" She continued without waiting for a response. "I hope he's a nice young man. Is it that Sean boy that use to come and pick you up sometimes?"  
  
"Nope, Sean's like family. It was a boy named Leon. But he found out that I wasn't as nice as I let on and he broke up with me." Kat looked down. "He thought I was one person but when he realized what I'm really like he decided he didn't like me at all." Kat didn't have the heart to tell the old woman any more then that.  
  
"Oh, there's nothing about you that would cause anyone to like you less." Mrs. B blew a raspberry in the air. "You know what you need." She trialed off and went into her office, returning seconds later with a black leotard. "You will dance for me, and you will feel better."  
  
"I don't think so Mrs. B." Kat wasn't in the mood to dance.  
  
"Yes, you will. You will dance and it will make you happier, you'll see. Now go and put this on. I don't know why you always give me a hard time about this, you dance like Anna Pavlova so go and change." She handed Kat the dance clothes. "See, I even still have a pair of your pointe shoes, now go." All Kat's dance clothes were black. She didn't do pink, she only wore other colors when she was on stage performing.  
  
Kat gave up and took the clothes. She changed into the skin tight outfit, feeling self conscious as she always did when she first put on her dance clothes. She walked out into the main room again. "Mrs. B, this stuff is too small."  
  
"No, it is perfect. You always wanted to wear your leotards too big." Mrs. B laughed at her former pupil. "Now, to the barre. You remember how to do the stretches, I know you do, so get started." Kat began to do her warm ups, she did remember it all. She stretched with the barre for 20 minutes. "Turn out Katherine." Kat did her turn out. "No, no. I know you can do better then that. Try again. You haven't been practicing at home have you?" Kat looked slightly ashamed, she hadn't been. It wasn't quite the 30 minutes that her teacher always insisted on in the past but she hadn't come here for a class after all. When that was done and the woman was happy that Kat was warmed up she went to the piano and started to play.  
  
Kat heard the familiar strains of 'Swan Lake' fill the room and she started to move. She couldn't help it. She'd danced to this so many times, it was ingrained into her, no matter how many times she'd tried to give it up. She'd danced this ballet many times and knew why her instructor had chosen it.  
  
Mrs. B picked this piece, this ballet because of the parallels that she drew between Kat's troubles and the moral of this piece. It is a tale of the triumph of good over evil, and the forgiveness of love, tempered by the reality of life that continues on. Kat danced like an angel, but Mrs. B knew she would. She danced the role of Odette, and she danced it well. Mrs. B wanted her to dance the role of the fragile sister. When she'd danced enough of the role that she was hot and sweaty and exhausted her teacher let her stop. She did feel better.  
  
"See, you feel better don't you?"  
  
"Of course. You were right." Kat smiled. "But I should go."  
  
"Yes, go then. But Kat, Don't forget, you are what you are, and you are fine the way you are. Never let anyone try to convince you that you should change your stripes for them." Mrs. B went into her office and Kat changed and headed home. She had her life back in perspective just like she hoped. She'd known subconsciously where she had to go to get that focus back.  
  
She had to drive by the Toretto's to get home. She saw Leon playing Basketball at the net over Dom's shed with Vince. She made sure he wouldn't know she had looked at him. She pulled into her driveway with a squeal and headed into her house.  
  
There was a note from the guys saying that Connor had called and they headed down to his place. She could either join them or they'd catch up with her later. She decided she was in the mood to be alone and she headed out to the backyard. She pulled her lounge chair out into the sun and ran into the house to change into her bathing suit. She picked the purple one and then went to lie out. Her hair was still up in the knot she'd put it in for dancing and the hot sun felt good on her back and shoulders. She felt herself falling asleep in the sun. She was going to let herself sleep in the sun for awhile. If she got a burn then so be it. She'd put the stereo on and just let it play. She'd put the speakers in the window before she went into the backyard. She forgot what CD was in.  
  
It was her 'Save the Last Dance' soundtrack. She loved that movie because of the parallels between her life and the main character's in the movie. They both danced and gave it up when their moms died. Of course Kat would never go back to it, she just didn't think she had it in her to and she didn't think she'd ever be good enough for Juilliard, she just did it every once in awhile to calm down now. But she'd been good at it as a child, could be good enough at it to be in a troupe now if she practiced but she doubted very much she'd ever be the Prima Ballerina her mother had been, the beautiful dancer her mother had always wanted her to be.  
  
And maybe Katharine could have been that dancer, but Kat couldn't. The part of Katharine that could have been the beautiful, graceful, elegant ballerina died, she died right along with her mother in that car wreck. She'd left Kat behind and Kat wasn't beautiful or elegant. She was tough as she had to be and pretty enough to get by.  
  
As if her thoughts weren't morose enough the soundtrack had a song called Crazy on it, about a person who's apologizing to someone for what they did, and how he's thinking of the girl and how he wished she'd come back. It had this line if you really love me then why are you leaving me. The chorus was 'I'm goin' crazy thinking about you baby'. She cursed herself for not checking the CD's just as she started to cry like a baby. Katharine had cried, Kat never did. Never. She didn't allow it. But this whole thing with Leon had made her cry more in the last month then she had in the 4 years leading up to it.  
  
She cried through that song, then the cd changed in the changer. She figured she was safe then but then the next song started and it was Almost doesn't count by Brandy. She just couldn't win. She laughed at the irony of those two songs playing one after the other even while she cried her foolish head off over all that had happened.  
  
Vince had come to talk to Kat about her spread in the import tuner. He wanted to thank her for talking about Jesse, cause it was obvious that Leon wasn't going to do it. He also wanted to see for himself if she was as over everything as Leon seemed to think she was. Vince knew that he and Kat were not friends but he couldn't believe anyone would just get over what she'd done. He knocked on the front door but no one answered. He knew she was in there, he'd seen her go by when he was shooting hoops with Leon.  
  
He got worried when she didn't answer the door. Leon had told him what Kat had said about trying to kill herself once. He thought he heard music so he went around to the back. There was Kat, lying on her stomach on a lawn chair crying her heart out. Vince had been on Leon's side of things to that point. He knew that Leon had been messed up after what she'd done, but the reason why he had really been mad at her was because he'd believed Leon when he'd said that Kat obviously didn't even really care about it. Well here was proof she did in fact still care.  
  
"Kat, you ok?" Vince asked. He was no good at this crying girl stuff. Hell, his disastrous ending to his relationship with his ex was proof of that.  
  
"Vince?" She sniffled and asked.  
  
"Yeah, I wanted to say hi, thank you for talking about Jesse and ask you how your trip went. You sure you're ok?"  
  
"I'ma be aight. It's just the sad music, it got to me. I should go and change that over to something more upbeat." She tried to smile.  
  
"Oh girl. It's tough huh?" Vince knew that as well as anyone.  
  
"Yeah it is. But I fucked up and now I gotta pay the price." No one had really tried to talk to her candidly about what happened. Everyone treated her like she was made of spun sugar and she might shatter if they talked to her about it frankly instead of in sugar coated terms. She had a funny feeling that Vince wasn't the type to sugar coat anything. She wasn't far off.  
  
"Well, yeah you did fuck up, but I mean from what I hear Leon isn't totally innocent in the whole deal."  
  
"Maybe not but that's irrelevant now." Kat was still sort of crying.  
  
"No it's not. You and my boy need ta have a talk about the whole mess Kat. You must know that."  
  
"I thought so once Vince, but I don't think so now. I mean he said he didn't want to see me again. I guess I owe it to him to respect that. If he wants to talk that's fine but I'm not seeking him out."  
  
"I guess I can understand that. But he still cares about you Kat. I know he does. He did nothing but mope around the whole time you were gone. And you shoulda seen the look on his face when he saw you in the car mags. Plus, I'm the one on our team with the moppy spot. I told him I didn't wanna share."  
  
"I heard about you and your ex. Why are you so sure that Leon and I need to talk when you and that girl never did?"  
  
"Well, that's a whole lot of history. I know. Come to our place after races tonight and I'll tell ya. It'll give Leon lots of chance to take the initiative to talk to ya too."  
  
"I don't know Vince. It's not likely a great idea."  
  
"Sure it is. Wear something that'll knock 'em out and then come as my guest. He'll see you with other guys and get jealous. It'll make him realize he still wants you and then you two can talk out your problems. It's perfect. Plus if you get me drunk enough I'll tell you about me'n Ny..My ex." Vince still hated to say her name.  
  
"I'm definitely going to races and I'll think about your offer."  
  
Vince sat down on the chair beside her and put his feet up. She was still sniffling. "So you know you'll be at races eh?"  
  
"For sure. I didn't know there were races tonight but the guys might have." Kat could never stay away now that she knew about them. Leon was just gonna have to get use to the idea that they were part of the same world and they'd be seeing each other around. Even if Kat didn't go to the party as Vince's guest.  
  
"Maybe I'll challenge you for a shot at that pussy show car you're runnin'." Vince teased. She sputtered like a cat in a rain storm for a second.  
  
"Pussy show car! You better challenge me son, and you better have 1000 bucks to give away. I'll show you show car." She looked so indignant, but it made her stop crying, which was all Vince had been after in the first place.  
  
"Well, I mean, the cars in the 'Import Tuner' are all show and no go, everyone knows that." Vince laughed at the look on her face. She figured him out in that moment.  
  
"You're teasing me." She smiled at him. "I was worried at first because I am invited to take the car to 'Hot Import Nights' and compete. I thought you were pickin' on me for that."  
  
"'Import Tuner' and 'Hot Import Nights' in one week? That's quite a week."  
  
"Yeah, Harry's super. He hooked me up with everything while we were away. I know he did it to take my mind off things at home and it worked while we were gone. But now that everything's right in my face again it's still hard." She frowned.  
  
"It'll be ok."  
  
"How are you so sure Vince? Things aren't ok for you. You still don't have your girl." Kat just looked sincere. She wanted to know from someone who'd been where she was at this point.  
  
"I do aight. I mean I still miss her and I'd jump at the chance to get back with her and all but I'm ok now. I don't think about it every second anymore like I did in the past." Vince rubbed her back. "You'll get him back, or you'll get over him. Pretty girl like you'll be able to get any guy. I mean I know that Leon's one of the best, but if you don't have him you'll get someone just as good."  
  
"Aw thanks Vince. I know you just want me to stop crying. I bet you thought about runnin' away when you saw me bawlin' like I was. Guys can't cope with crying females. Hell, I find it hard. But you men, you get all flustered an shit." She smiled at him.  
  
"Hey, I'm just tellin' it like it is Kat, there's tons of guys who'd jump at the chance to take you out. Hell, take some of 'em up on it, date some other people. He'll take the hint he's jealous and doesn't wanna see you with other guys soon enough and you'll have him back."  
  
"You think so?" She asked. She wondered if he really felt like that or if he was just trying to make her feel better.  
  
"Hell yeah I think so." Vince patted her on the head. "Now, go get ready so you're ready to roll at 12." Vince stood up.  
  
"Vince, it's only 8pm."  
  
"I know you must be just like Mia'n Letty, it'll take you 4 hours to pick out an outfit and do your hair." Kat stood up.  
  
"I'll have you know that it only takes me 3 hours to get ready. Not four." She stood with her hand on her hip and stared at him. She tried to keep a serious look on her face but she cracked up. "Well shit." Something had occurred to her.  
  
"Wha?" Vince asked.  
  
"Well, if the guys don't come home I'm not goin' anywhere. I'm not goin' alone." Kat pouted.  
  
"Call them and make sure they come home."  
  
"Good idea!" She smiled and turned to go in the house. She stopped and turned back to Vince. "Thanks Vince. I mean it, I really appreciate you taken' the time to talk to me like this."  
  
"No problem. Just think about what I said. I expect to see you at my house later with a shot of tequila in your hand." He walked toward her fence. ."I'll be joining you."  
  
"We'll see." She called after him. "We'll see." She said to herself and headed in the house to get ready to roll. 


	35. The Best?

Chapter 35 - The Best?  
  
Kat sighed in frustration about 25 outfits later. What said I know I'm sexy while did not say Hey I'm a skanky bitch? She'd tried skirts and pants and tops and tanks and even her bikini top with pants and skirts. That came out looking too skanky even for how she dressed in the 'hood. She had time, maybe she should hit the mall. That sounded like a plan. Since the guys had never returned she left them a note telling them she went shopping and headed to the mall.  
  
She looked around yet another store and didn't see anything. Then she saw a white skirt. It would be about mid thigh and fitted. It had a slit up almost to the hip on one side. She tried it on and loved it. She then had to find a top. She figured that a white top would work best, she thought that since she had gotten so darkly tanned in Japan it would look awesome. Her hair looked even paler then before but now her skin was quite deeply tanned. She found the perfect white top. It was fitted in the main section and made of sheer material. The sleeves were long and very full, but slit down the top and tied closed with little ties. It had little faux diamonds all over it and it almost seemed to be made of diamonds, they also were closer together where they needed to be to cover up the 'important' stuff. She was in love with it at first sight. She'd have bought it even if she didn't need a new top. With her new skirt it left just enough of her newly tanned belly bare to be sexy she though.  
  
She then splurged even more on a pair of white knee high leather boots. She went home and put the whole outfit on together. If she wanted to send a message of being an angel any stronger she'd need a halo she thought and giggled. She knew a moment of panic about keeping all this white clean, but she resolved not to eat while wearing it at all. It did look good. Even if she did look a little bony from the whole Leon stressful situation. Her old dance instructor would think she looked great. She stuck out her tongue at herself in the mirror. She took the new outfit off and hung it up. She was going to check over her car. Sean and the gang were still not home. She'd really have liked Sean's help, but he wasn't home and no one was answering at Connor's. She figured she'd try again later but for now her car had to be checked.  
  
She tossed on her scruffy shop cargos and a tank top and headed out to the driveway where the Skyline was. She popped the hood and started checking wires.  
  
"Whatchya doin'?" Someone asked from behind her. She jumped and put a hand to her throat.  
  
"Jesse, my god, you tryin' to give me a heart attack or somethin'?" She had been quite surprised by Jesse sneekin' up behind her.  
  
"No, just wanted to see if you had bad nerves." Jesse answered and laughed at the look on her face. "So what are ya doin'?"  
  
"Just goin' over the car before races tonight." Kat answered as she checked out the level of oil and antifreeze in her engine and tested the rad hoses.  
  
"You're goin' to races then?" Jesse asked.  
  
"Yeah, why? Is there some reason why I shouldn't?" Kat asked with a nervous look. Had Leon sent Jesse to tell her to stay home, or to try and make sure she wasn't going to be around that night?  
  
"Nope, no reason. I just figured you'd take some time off since you just got home and all. Plus I didn't think you'd wanna risk messing up your car before you get to be in the big show." Jesse answered.  
  
"Oh well, race wars is before import nights so I'll still be competing in the desert. I don't figure the car is any more likely to get hurt at races tonight then it is at race wars." Kat answered as she hit the ground and started to shimmy under the car on her creeper.  
  
"What are you doin' down there?" Jesse asked her.  
  
"Just checkin' it out Jesse. Just a habit I picked up back in the old neighbourhood. You never took anything for granted there and I still go over the car with a fine tooth comb before I race it anywhere." Kat answered as she checked out her ignition and checked for strange wires.  
  
"Shit like that wouldn't happen around here Kat. It'd have to be someone off my team doin' it and we're not like that." Jesse sounded hurt, like he figured that Kat assumed that he or someone off his team would do something to her car, or try to harm her.  
  
"I know that you guys wouldn't do that Jess, but I still have to check. I been racing here since 15 and I been doin these checks since then. Old habits die hard but in this case it'll never die because I saw someone once who found out their brake lines were cut the hard way, mid race and too late to avoid hitting a building at 140." Kat answered as she checked her rear brake lines.  
  
"No shit? Stuff like that happened at your races?" Jesse couldn't believe it.  
  
"Well, not all the time, but once was enough for me an the guys."  
  
"I guess. Well, good luck tonight if you race Kat. I'll see you there. Hey, you should come to our place after. We'll be having a big party." Jesse stated.  
  
Kat slid out from under the car, she had a little smudge of dirt on her nose. Jesse thought it was cute. He remembered Leon saying something about how cute she was when she got dirty once. "Is there some sort of conspiracy to get me to your party tonight? I've already had Vince over here asking me to go." She asked from her seat on the ground.  
  
"No, I didn't know Vince was already here. I'd just like to see you after races is all." Jesse looked guilty. He held a hand out to Kat and helped her up.  
  
"I'ma tell you what I told Vince. We'll see. I'm not makin' any promises." Kat told Jesse as she stood.  
  
"Well, just think about it. Oh, but I wouldn't take that guy...I forget his name, the tall skinny guy you live with."  
  
"Oh, Stacy?"  
  
"Yeah, he kinda decked Leon in the face so maybe he shouldn't come." Kat tried to keep the smirk off her face and failed miserably. "Hey, it's not funny, he knocked him right down." Jesse looked indignant.  
  
"I know. He told me he punched 'the punk' while I was gone. He told me he was sorry that he did it because I had asked him not to but he wasn't sorry he did it. And to tell you the truth Jesse, I'm not sorry he did it anymore either. I think I said I was sorry enough for 10 people and after what Leon said to me he had that punch comin'. But the guys won't want to go to your party. It's not really their scene."  
  
"Ok, but I hope you come Kat. And maybe Leon did need a bit of a wakeup call."  
  
"Good lord, I'll think about it. Besides do you and Vince really think seeing me in your house is gonna make Leon fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness? I think this is more likely to backfire which is why I'm not gonna promise till I have more time to think about it." Who was she kidden? She knew she was going. That's why she needed the new outfit. But she did figure it was going to end badly.  
  
When she knew the car was safe she headed in the house and jumped in the shower. Then she did her hair. She got it smoother and straighter then it had ever been. She thought that it would go with her outfit best that way. Then she did her makeup. She used silver eye shadow and silver lipstick and black eyeliner and mascara. Then she got dressed. Everything she wore was white. She didn't bother with a bra since her top was lined in the front and it wasn't like she needed the support. She figured maybe she should wear one that gave her the allusion of having a bust but figured she rather be comfortable. She was likely average for her size but she saw herself as small.  
  
Then she headed downstairs. It was 11 and there was still no sign of the guys. She called Connor again and this time he answered. "Yo!" Kat sighed. No matter how many times she told him the world was hello or at least Hi he still said yo.  
  
"Hello" she emphasized the word "Connor. How are you?"  
  
"Kitty cat! I'm great. How you been. You need to come down here with this brother o'mine next time. I ain't seen you in forever."  
  
"I know but that brother of yours went down there while I was at work, so it's hard for me to go with him. Sean around?"  
  
"Yeah, one sec. Yo Sean. Phone Bro." Connor shouted.  
  
"Hello?" Sean answered the phone.  
  
"Hey Boy, where are ya? Races in an hour you know?" Kat asked, trying to sound annoyed and failing. She loved Sean so much she had to be really mad at him to ever sound mad at him. She couldn't even pretend.  
  
"There's races tonight Kitten? Why didn't you tell us?"  
  
"I tried, but no one answered the phone all night and you left before I got home, remember. Get home Sean, I already checked the car and I'm ready to roll."  
  
"Ok, we'll head home. Um Stacy and Kale are a little.Well.Happy. Is that ok?"  
  
"Yeah, if you get 'em in the car and get home. I don't wanna miss the chance to race. You know we really do sorta need the money." Kat sighed.  
  
"I know, I know. I'll be home in 20."  
  
"Ok, bye." She hung up and went and plopped down on her couch and switched on the TV. She watched some random program while she waited. Well, she didn't really watch, she just kind of thought about her life and how screwed up it was while the TV provided background noise. She wanted to try Vince's theory that if she showed up at his house and partied like she didn't have a care in the world then Leon would be jealous enough to at least talk to her. But what if all he did was yell and kick her out?  
  
She didn't know if she could handle that. She had to admit she was strangely intrigued by the chance to find out what had happened between Vince and his girl. She felt for the big guy, now more so then ever since she knew what he was going through.  
  
But she didn't know if seeing Leon was good for her heart if he should refuse to have anything to do with her. She missed him so much after the short time they'd been together that she worried if she saw him again and he reused to have anything to do with her it might dump her right back where she'd been before her trip. But when she thought about it she was still moping around the house, hoping not to see him. So either they'd fight it out and either end up friends or giving 'them' another try or they'd fight it out and decide not to have anything to do with each other, in which case she would at least be able to walk past him in the street or races and know how to act.  
  
She decided she'd go if and only if Vince came to get her. She wasn't going to just walk into the house. With that decision made she started to look for her guys. She was getting impatient to be off. Just then they noisily came in the front door.  
  
"Kitten!" Sean called. "We ready. Let's go!" She walked out of the living room. Sean did a double take. "Whoa, hello there Angel. Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? What'd you do wit our girl Kat? Can't be the same girl, our girl'd have to have a trampoline to get here from where she's from."  
  
"Sean!" She blushed.  
  
"You look awesome. You showin' off for someone in particular?"  
  
"Of course not Sean, whatever could you mean?" She gave him a little curtsy and smiled.  
  
"You do look like an angel Kitten." Stacy stated. "I hope that's not for the punk."  
  
"Stacy, don't you start shit tonight. Got it? If you're too wasted not to fight stay the fuck home." Kat didn't want to spend the night babysitting. "I got dressed up for me."  
  
"I'm just joshen' ya Kat. I'm dead sober." Stacy made his got ya face at her.  
  
"Beast! Here I was thinking I was gonna have to drag you all down in my car." Kat smiled.  
  
"Nope, Me'n Kale'll take the Eclipse down." Stacy swung the keys around on his finger.  
  
"Ok, let's go." They left the house and got in their cars. Kat noted with a smile that they were leaving after the Toretto's and they were therefore going to arrive after. She'd bet Dom'd be pissed about that. They roared off toward the industrial area of town where the warehouse was. They pulled in and were in fact the last to arrive. They parked and got out of their cars. Some people came over to them, mostly skanks. It seemed that the guys already had a fan club. Then the male racers realized who Kat was.  
  
She was surrounded in half a second by guys introducing themselves to her and wanting to chat. She was overwhelmed but thankfully Sean realized and rescued her to go talk to Edwin. Edwin looked her over and licked his lips. He'd never thought of Kat like a girl before. He was just as guilty as most guys around the scene of thinking of her as just another racer, just another grease monkey. But tonight she looked good. He knew he had no chance, but she still looked good. Then she opened her mouth.  
  
"Yo Bro! How we doin' this?" Kat asked. "Anything decided yet?"  
  
"No, nothin' yet. But there's a third Skyline here tonight. I heard rumors of someone wanting to set a race up between the three of you. A sort of the best of the best of the Skylines in LA sorta thing." Still the same old Kat, with racing on the brain and bigger balls then half the men.  
  
"I don't know Edwin. That'd mean racing." She trailed off. Edwin had heard what had happened between her and Leon. He didn't know what they'd fought over but everyone knew they'd fought. "Yeah, it would, but hey, that's just a rumor. No sayin' it'll happen or not. If it does you don't haveta get in on it."  
  
"Yeah, I could refuse and look like a pussy, or look like I'm scared of beating.You know how it'd look. I'll haveta race if they wanna do it."  
  
"Yeah, you would haveta pretty much but no saying the other two'd go for it."  
  
"We can hope." Kat didn't want to race Leon. She'd give anything not to. Either she lost to him and it looked like her car was all show and no go, or she beat him and he never forgave her for making him look stupid by being beaten by a girl, a girl he use to date none the less. She saw Dom and Hector coming their way.  
  
"Hey Edwin." Dom spoke first to the familiar face of Edwin. "How you doin' man?"  
  
"You know Dom, same ol, same ol. How you doin'?"  
  
"Good. Ready to roll. But it looks like the people don't wanna see me run tonight. They wanna see Skyline Vs. Skyline tonight. You in Kat?" Dom asked. If Kat wasn't mistaken Dom looked like he had pity for her, for being in this position. No one pitied her. She wouldn't have it. Fuck Leon. She was in.  
  
"I'm in." She said simply and with a backbone of steel. No hesitation or uncertainty could be heard in her voice or seen in her demeanor. "Bring it on. Tell these other two.whoever they are to bring it." Kat raised her chin.  
  
Dom looked at her with a mix of respect, and still pity. He respected her for taking the challenge and pitied her because either way, win or lose, Kat was going to lose. Either the race, or the chance to have Leon back in her life. Everyone seemed to think if she beat him, he wouldn't want anything to do with her. Maybe they were right. "Ok then. I'll tell the other two it's on." Dom walked away.  
  
She turned to Sean and Stacy. "I hope I know what I'm doin'."  
  
"What'dya mean Kitten? You're the best." Stacy answered her. Sean gave Stacy a look.  
  
"She means if she beats whitebread he's gonna flip." Kale filled Stacy in. The look of understanding was obvious as it flashed across Stacy's face.  
  
"Not just that. What if I'm good, and my car is great? What if against other Skylines I'm not the best, I'm just good. What if you take the cars away and make all the rides evenly matched I'm not any better then anyone else? What if it was always my car and never me? I might not be better then anyone else." Kat tipped her head back, closed her eyes and sighed. Then she prayed to a god that she wasn't even sure she believed in anymore for the answer to this puzzle.  
  
"Kat, you're the best. It's not the car, it never was. It was always you. The car is only as fast as the driver can make it move. You designed it, you tuned it pretty much on your own this time, you drive it. It's all you Kitten, it's always been you." Sean tipped his head down to press his forehead against hers, he continued so that only the two of them could hear. "You are the best. We've always seen it. We've always known you didn't. But you can beat any of these punks. You're above us all Kat. Go get 'em. Just race Kat. Nothing else matters. Not what you drive or who you race against. It's always been about freedom for you. About speed and not being helpless anymore. You need the control Kat, you need to know that it's you that's handling all that power and keeping it on the road all alone, that you can control something as powerful as that car. We always known that you had the talent, the skill. We just gave you the car to show what you always had in you. You deserved the best car only because you are the best driver. You're never gonna be second in my book Kitten."  
  
"I love you Sean." She hugged him tight.  
  
"I love you too Kitten, go get in your car. And if you ever tell anyone I said anything that mushy I'll have to kill ya." Sean sent her to her car with a little shove and a laugh. She gave him the first totally genuine smile since before everything went down and got into the car.  
  
"She's somethin' else isn't she?" Edwin asked.  
  
"There'll never be another Kat." Sean answered and waved at her. She waved back from the driver's seat of her car. Sean saw Dom walking her way and kept a close eye on the other man. Sean still didn't like Dom. He didn't trust him around Kat any further then he could throw him. And since the two men were about the same size he didn't figure he could throw him too far.  
  
"You ready Kat?" Dom crouched by her door and asked.  
  
"Yep, like I said, bring it on." Kat turned her head to look at Dom.  
  
"He's not gonna take it well if you kick his ass Kat." She gave Dom a look like she had no idea what he meant. "I know you know what I mean Kat."  
  
She didn't try to front, she knew what he meant and he knew she knew. "I get you Dom but I didn't ask for this. If I back out I look like a pussy. Like I'm scared I couldn't beat these two and I know I can. If I ever want serious races again I can't back out of this. You gotta see that. I worked too damn hard to get where I am to throw it away over Leon Dom. Especially since he won't even give me the time of day anyway. I mean really, how much worse could it get then him pretending I don't exist? I've been slaving for the last 4 years to get here and I'm not thrown' that away on a guy that may or may not ever talk to me again."  
  
"He'd have gotten over it sooner or later and gone to talk to you Kat, but if you beat him tonight I don't know if he will. Men and their pride you know." Dom looked dead serious. She knew he was telling her if it was him and Letty and Letty kicked his ass he'd never forgive her.  
  
"Dom, it'd be so easy for either of these two guys to just say they're not racing some untried female driver, to say they're not racin' a chick. Everyone would just go along with them, say they're right not to want to waste their time. Everyone'll look at me like a quitter who's not ready to run with the big boys if I back out."  
  
"Aight. I see where you're comin' from. I just hope it's worth it."  
  
"It has to be." Kat answered and looked away. It was all she ever wanted; all she'd wanted for the last 4 years was to be the best racer. It couldn't not be worth it. She'd come too far, sacrificed far too much for her to decide it wasn't worth it now. So why'd a second chance with Leon almost sound better then winning this race? She got so mad at herself for that. Here was her chance to get that much closer to her dream and she was ready to throw it away over some guy who tried to crush her spirit anyway. She shook her head and looked up at Dom. "I'm ready, let's do this." Dom just nodded in the same accepting way he had when Brian had let him take off in the Supra and told Kat where to line up. He couldn't force her not to race Leon. But Dom knew when it came down to it that Kat's car outclassed Leon's, even with all Jesse had done to it and Kat was likely to win this one. Dom didn't think Leon could handle it. But Leon wouldn't back down either. Dom had tried that first. Dom gave her directions to the street they were racing on.  
  
Kat drove to the spot and lined it up. The skyline between her and Leon was a bright red R32. It looked like the same year as Leon's. Kat figured she had this one in the bag, but she knew better then to be too cocky. She was pretty sure that her car was just as well built and tuned as these guys and that meant she had an advantage over them just because she had the V-Spec engine. She figured that the new kid coulda swapped his out, but she didn't figure he had. He still had the stock rims and seats. They were nice right from the factory, but what else had he skimped on? She'd be willing to bet that anyone running stock seats with no 4 point harnesses hadn't gone all out on his moddes. He was hoping to fall back on the fact that the car was the best. But he couldn't do that in this race because her and Leon had tens of thousands of dollars into their rides. Hell, Kat's racing seats were worth more then this kids rims. She figured that her rims, seats, paint job and light effects were worth half as much as the red skyline itself, in Japan, not what he could get for it in the US of course.  
  
She'd never seen under the hood of Leon's car, he had an advantage over her there, but she'd ridden it in. She was fairly confident her car could out run him and out handle him. But he'd driven her car too and he knew any weaknesses. Of course Kat didn't think there were any. But she'd bet if there was Leon'd already found it and was figuring how to use it to his advantage. She was glad whoever'd decided how they'd line up had put the red car between them for a buffer. They had to wait for a chance to race and the drivers got out of their cars to wait. Vince walked up to Kat.  
  
She smiled softly at him. She really liked Vince in a friendly way.  
  
"Kat, see now, that is the kind of outfit I meant when I said knock 'em out. But I didn't think you'd end up racin' him. Might not be smart." Vince looked her over from head to toe and didn't know how Leon could stay away. And he didn't know how a girl as evil as he knew Kat to be looked so much like an angel. Well, evil in a good way but far from an angel.  
  
"I know all that and more Vince but I couldn't say no. Everyone'd figure that I knew I couldn't win and then I'd never be taken seriously again. And I have something on the go that I can't mess up like that." She wasn't telling Dom's best friend she planned on kicking Dom's ass next to get herself NIRA but she wasn't going to do anything that would make people refuse her the chance to race Dom when she got the chance. She knew that there was always a line up to get a shot at him, but if she was the best they wouldn't not let her race him for the same reason she had to say yes to this race. If she challenged Dom in a few weeks after a few more wins against worthy racers then Dom couldn't say no or he'd look like he was scared she'd beat him. And she would, but he'd still have to give it his best shot.  
  
"I guess you're right. But you still look amazing." Vince looked down at her. "I hope things all work out for you. You comin' over tonight?"  
  
"I don't know. Depends how good you make it sound. You ever do body shots?" Kat asked, trying to remain serious.  
  
"Nope, how do you do that?"  
  
"It involves tequila, I'll show you the rest later. I hope you don't mind ol' Le being a little mad at you for a few days."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cause if he sees us doin' body shots he will be. But if I go over we are. You'll have fun. Just wait. We'll be hammered in no time." She grinned wickedly.  
  
"Well, I tend to do stupid stuff when I'm drunk."  
  
"Me too, I'm countin on it." She continued to give him the same evil grin.  
  
"Ok, I hope you know what you're doin'."  
  
"Nope, but by the time the ride stops, I'm gonna have had quite the run." She stood beside her car. Vince walked away.  
  
Leon wondered when Kat and Vince had gotten so chummy. He watched Vince touch her shoulder and watched her grin at Vince. Then Vince walked away and Leon was left staring at the beautiful sight Kat made standing beside her car. The white of her clothes contrasted with the body of her car, but complimented her tigers. She looked like an angel in that outfit. It was all white and the shirt was so shear and filmy it had an almost ethereal look to it, added to the effect was the cloud of the palest hair he'd ever seen all around her, down her back and over her shoulders. Plus the way the streetlights hit it made almost a halo effect around her head. Only Leon knew first hand she was no angel. She was the devil in a white outfit.  
  
She'd looked happy and confident while Dom, Vince, and her friend Sean were around but when she was left alone by the side of her car Leon knew she wasn't as confident and happy as she let on. She was so good at fooling the world, but she'd never been able to fool him. He could just look at her and know when she was fronting. He didn't know how she'd managed to keep her part in what had happened to him from him as long as she did. She couldn't really hide anything from him otherwise. He always figured it out. She didn't want to race him. He knew that. He knew if she'd refused she'd have been throwing away her dream just to save his pride. He'd striped her of hers on a sidewalk but for some reason he wanted her to toss her dream aside just to save him some embarrassment. Almost all she had was her skill behind the wheel but he'd wanted her to say it didn't matter even though he knew he should have gone and talked to her about it long ago. He found himself wishing he'd refused to race her. It was too late now.  
  
Everyone got back in their cars and waited for the all clear. Kat was nervous. More nervous then she ever remembered being. She decided she needed some tunes to pump her up. She turned up Outkast's song The way you move. Her stereo was loud. She only had two 8 inch subs but they were in a ported band pass box and they were Fusion. They pounded as tight and loud as some people's setups with three times the subs. And they were light. She waited for Hector to start them off as she sung along.  
  
"But I know ya'll running that 808, can you feel that B A S S bass." She almost shouted, trying to get herself worked up.  
  
Leon heard the music pounding from her car and wished he had a stereo. His car was built for pure speed, he only had a cheap cd player and the factory speakers. He just knew she was over there pumping herself up for speed. The kid in the red car looked green. Leon knew he was nervous. It was only the kid's third race ever. How he'd ended up in a skyline Leon'd never know. He'd picked up the same stuff about it that Kat had. Factory seats and wheels. It wasn't a finished street car yet. But the kid was about to learn that the hard way.  
  
Someone on Edwin's crew was on the scanner tonight. He relayed to Hector that the cops should be busy with a murder suicide in the hills. Hector leaned over and spoke to Dom, telling him that everything was good to roll. It was just a courtesy to Dom since Dom wasn't getting to race. Dom told him to start the race any time.  
  
Kat was telling herself it didn't matter who she was against. She just had to forget about everyone but herself and move her car in the fastest, straightest line possible. That was all they did here, piece of cake she figured. She watched Hector speak to Dom. She hoped that Leon brought everything he had. If she figured that he let her win, either to try to make up with her or to be able to say he threw the race for her she'd make him rematch her till she felt he tried. She shut off her brain at that point and focused on Hector. All she allowed herself to think of was the race from that point on.  
  
Hector raised his arms over his head. Kat felt her heart rate speed up, her mouth got dry and she felt the excitement pool in her lower belly, hot and heavy. She tasted the familiar, almost comforting taste of pennies and honey under her tongue. She threw the stick into first and the gears engaged with a metallic chink. She had the clutch halfway off and the gas halfway on. It revved the car enough to keep it still but gave her a small advantage over anyone who was going to try to pop their clutch when Hector dropped his arms. Neither of the other racers could tell she was doing this over the noise of their own cars and the crowd. Sean knew she was because he'd taught her to.  
  
Dom could hear that her rpm's had gone up and he knew what she was doing. The girl was the real deal. She was smart. Dom did that trick himself. She was gonna smoke Leon. There wasn't anything that could be done about it. 


	36. Getting Crazy

Chapter 36 - Getting Crazy  
  
Kat watched Hector's arms drop almost like it was slow motion. She let the clutch out and floored the gas. Her car sat back on it's back tires and screamed like banshee. She got off the line ahead of the other two racers. She was like a blur to the boy in the red car. He'd never seen her coming. It was part of the advantage she knew she had. Till men raced her they never figured she had it in her to beat them. Well the new kid was paying the price.  
  
Kat hit 7000 rpm's and waited another nanosecond till 7500 and hit second. Her rims were like a blur of chrome and purple light from her tirefly's. The car was hunkered down on it's suspension like a thouralbred horse leaning into the wind. She hadn't even allowed herself to check where Leon was. She figured she'd lapped the kid already but Leon was no doubt neck and neck with her.  
  
She slammed the car into third, her short shifter made the throws between gears quick and precise. She immediately floored it again after the shift to third and the car growled and flew ahead. The engine noise as she flew by the crowds was exhilarating to them. Real racers knew they were watching the real deal as the Yellow Skyline did it's level best to keep up with it's black counterpart.  
  
As far as Leon was concerned the other car was as black as sin, like a black bat straight out of hell, and he's swear his white angel driving it must have sold her very soul to the devil to move any car this fast. If she even had a soul left to sell. She was blazingly fast. He could tell when she shifted because the car lurched, but it was almost unperceivable, he only picked up on it because he knew what to look for. It was like she and the car were one fluid being. Leon hit third. He had his gas peddle to the floor, he was keeping up in her blind spot but it was taking everything he could give. The car was at full throttle and the noise in the cabin was deafening. Kat hit her fourth gear and started to pull away from him. He winced for what he was going to do to his poor baby and downshifted to second. The car hit 8000 rpm's and the roar was literally painful to his ears but he started to catch her. He'd swear she didn't even care where he was. She was just running the car as fast and as furious as she could, hurling toward the finish, flying through space and time without regard for her own safety or thought to where he was.  
  
Kat hit 5th, only letting off on the gas long enough to shift and pop the clutch. She didn't know how fast she was going. She didn't know where Leon was, didn't know if the kid in the red car was even still a factor. She wasn't thinking about any of that anyway. All she was thinking of was getting her car over the line in the best time she ever posted. It wouldn't be official of course but had a system in her fuel management computer system that timed her ¼ mile. She'd have a fair idea how she'd done. She couldn't see anything on the sides of the road. The scenery just flashed by, the lights on the cars blocking off the course were like streaks of light. It was like the amusement park, on the rides. When you were dipping and spinning around the lights took on auras and make streaks in your vision. At these speeds that's how Kat saw the lights. She was ready for NOS. Didn't know if she even needed it to win or not and was using it anyway.  
  
Leon watched her widen the gap between them and knew frustration. And admiration. Kat was the real deal. He had been right all that time ago when he speculated she was Dom in a female body. She had the will to win at any cost and she flew by everything you threw at her. The only way to sum it up was Damn she's fast. He was trying, he really was. He didn't want his ex girlfriend to beat him. But he didn't have a choice. She was widening the gap. Leon checked his gauges and decided to give it his all anyway. He gave his car her first shot of NOS. His tires squealed and stuck and he was thrown back into the seat. He watched the lights blur and watched Kat's tail lights get closer for a split second before she decided to rub salt in his wounds and use her NOS even though he'd never have caught her if they raced all night.  
  
Kat hit her NOS and the force of the jolt threw her back so hard it almost hurt her neck. She needed both hands on the wheel to hold it on the course. She could see where she thought the finish was. She kept it floored the whole time. She flashed by the finish two cars ahead of Leon, who was three cars ahead of the poor kid in the red car. As she crossed the finish she let up on the gas, which signaled her timer that the race was over and to stop counting. She looked at the numbers. She'd done the quarter mile in 9.0 seconds. A new personal best for sure, and a phenomenal time.  
  
She didn't even know if she'd won, but she did her best. She drove back to the finish line once she'd gotten the car stopped and turned around. Sean and Stacy and Kale came running up to her.  
  
"Did I win?" Kat asked nervously.  
  
"Did you win? Are you serious?" Stacy asked her.  
  
"Yeah, I just ran Stacy, I just ran and ran. I didn't pay attention to anything else. I just ran." She gasped out, she was still trying to get her breath back from the exhilaration of having moved her car up to 170.  
  
"Well you just ran to a two car length win over the yellow car and 5 over the red." Kale informed her. "What was your quarter mile time? And don't tell me you don't know. I know you set the timer."  
  
"It came out to 9.0" Kat answered, she had her breathing slightly more under control. Edwin walked up to them.  
  
"Here's what you won." He handed her two thousand dollars. "Girl, that was one hell of a race. But you know you only beat Leon by two car lengths? I figured you'd have him by at least 5. He's one hell of a driver."  
  
"Yeah, he is." Kat admitted honestly and blushed at how he was even one hell of a driver with her in his lap. "He mighta beaten me if his car was more evenly matched."  
  
"Good of you to admit Kat." Dom said from behind her.  
  
"Damn it Dom. Don't do that to me when I'm still hopped up on adrenaline unless you wanna become intimately acquainted with how a testicle retrieval operation works." She hated it when people came up behind her.  
  
"Funny. Well, I just wanted to tell you that was one hell of a ride. I can totally understand why it's important to you that people take you seriously. When we race, you're gonna be some real competition for me." Dom smirked.  
  
"You'd better believe it." Kat answered, knowing that with NIRA resting on her race against Dom there was no way she'd let him win that one.  
  
They organized another race and Kat made Stacy enter it. He raced against Rome, who was still staying with Brian, and some Asian guy. Stacy won. At around 1am they broke up from the warehouse and everyone headed home. Kat just went back to her place because as she had said she wasn't going to Dom's unless Vince came for her. She knew Vince didn't know that but she figured if he really wanted to see her he'd think to come get her. She'd just stashed her money when the bell rang. She ran down and got the door open just ahead of Kale.  
  
"Hey Vince."  
  
"Kat, you comin', you promised me a drinkin' lesson."  
  
"So I did. Guy's I'ma go hang out with Vince at his house for awhile, ok?"  
  
"You sure 'bout that Kat?" Sean looked worried.  
  
"Yep, I think I really am." She answered and took the hand Vince was holding out to her. "You know where I am if you need me. Just don't let Stacy go over there." Kat laughed and so did Stacy.  
  
"Haha, very funny Kitten." Stacy shoved her out the door. "Go with the punk here and have fun."  
  
"I thought that Leon was whitebread and punk?" Kat asked with a smartass smile.  
  
"Yeah well whitebread doesn't fit this one but punk does." Stacy laughed.  
  
"I think the whole lot of 'em are Italian." Kat answered.  
  
"You got us." Vince said. He knew that Stacy was just kidding with him.  
  
"You bring her back in the shape you borrowed her in homeboy or it's yo ass." Stacy added to Vince as he shut the door.  
  
"I don't know if I want to take you anywhere now. What if I get you dirty?" Vince asked with a wink.  
  
"Vince, if we hit the tequila you'll get me dirty and then some. Let's go." She laughed and pulled him along by his hand. Vince followed along laughing in her wake. "You think he's gonna flip out?" Kat asked on the way up the walk of the house. Vince knew who she meant.  
  
"Maybe. The question is will he flip over you being here, you being here with me, or you beating him." Vince answered and hauled her around to the back of the house. "We'll go in back here." They walked into the house and into the kitchen. Guys that recognized her from races and from her articles said hi. Kat was having second thoughts about doing this, then she saw Leon with a blonde skank in his lap.  
  
"So where's the liquor?" Kat asked. Leon had this coming.  
  
"Just a second you little alchie." Vince laughed and got the tequila. "So how do we do these body shots you spoke of?"  
  
"First we get a little happy." Kat grinned and took the bottle of liquor from Vince. She downed a big swig right out of the bottle.  
  
"Slow down little one." Vince took the bottle from her. He noticed Leon and then changed his mind, he turned it into a joke. "Save me some." He took a big drink out of the bottle and handed it back. Kat took another swig and just stood still for a second. She could feel the warmth of the tequila flowing through her already. Must be the adrenaline mixing with it. She took another big drink and handed it back to Vince. They had a crowd already, watching them. He took another gulp. "Now what?"  
  
"Now we need salt and lemons." Kat answered and the crowd cheered.  
  
"Ok, well, salt's no problem." Vince got the salt and then opened the fridge. "What'dya know. A lemon." Vince was surprised they had a lemon but he really wanted to know what she was gonna do with it. She cut it into wedges.  
  
"Ok, hold this in your teeth like this." She stuck the fruit in his mouth, peel side in and juicy side hanging out. "You sure you never did this before?" She was already lightly toasted, well on her way to drunk out of her mind.  
  
"Positive." He mumbled out around the lemon. The crowd cheered. They knew what they were about to see. Kat made Vince sit down because he was so much taller then her. She pushed his tank top off to the side of his neck, exposing his tattooed shoulder. The crowd cheered again, they were ready to see this action and jealous of Vince. "Well?"  
  
"Gimme a second boy, geese." She got a shot glass and poured a double. She held the salt in one hand and the shot in the other. She proceeded to lick Vince's shoulder right over his dragon. Vince just watched her do it. He'd really never done this before and when she said she hoped he didn't mind if Leon got a little mad she wasn't kidding. If he saw this he was gonna be a lot mad. She sprinkled salt on his wet shoulder, licked the salt off and then shot the tequila. She then took the lemon out of his mouth with her own and sucked the juice out of it. "And that is the easy way to do a body shot." She smirked at the look on his face. "You wanna try?" She raised one eyebrow.  
  
"Hell yeah." Vince answered and took the salt from her. He stuck a lemon wedge between her teeth and then poured his shot. He shoved her top off her shoulder and licked her the same way she'd licked him and sprinkled the salt on her collarbone. "Ready?" He asked her.  
  
"When you are." She answered in cocky Kat fashion. Vince licked the salt off her with one swipe of his wet tongue, pounded back the shot and took the lemon from her mouth. She laughed at the feel of his beard on her face, it tickled. It very much looked like they kissed. Only they knew they were just having a good time. Vince had to admit he was a little turned on by the whole thing but he figured that was normal.  
  
"So you said there's another way to do this?" Vince asked her after the third shot they did in similar fashion with a big audience the whole time.  
  
"Yeah, but it's more complicated." Kat was starting to lose her pronunciation of words a bit from the sheer amount of liquor in the very short amount of time. She was starting to sound like a New Yorker again.  
  
"Well, how does it work?" Having been introduced to male, female drinking games Vince was intrigued.  
  
Kat shrugged her shoulder and Vince thought she was being coy, but when she didn't put her shoulder back down he was very intrigued. She took the tequila and poured the hollow of her collarbone full. "Kay, get the liquor out of my shoulder boy, that's the complicated kind." She gave Vince an evil grin that said, 'you put me up to this after all.' She was still straddling him in a chair to make them about the same height. Vince slurped the liquor off her body and she threw her head back and laughed because his chin hair tickled her skin.  
  
"Oh, that tickles does it?" He asked her and brushed his beard over her shoulder again. She wiggled to get away, laughing. The crowd was loving their antics.  
  
"My turn baby. Raise your shoulder up." Vince did and she poured the liquor into his shoulder. It was cold. She licked salt off the pad of her thumb and sucked the clear fluid out of the hollow he'd made for it, only she licked his skin clean after. Because of watching them do this half the crowd was coupled off doing the same thing. Dom caught them each doing one more shot off each other. By this time both Vince and Kat were totally blitzed. Dom was going to go stop them before Leon saw when Vince stood up, taking Kat with him.  
  
"Let's go dance."  
  
"You got it Vinny." She answered.  
  
"It's V. If you're gonna shorten my name it's V." He glared at her. She cracked up.  
  
"Ok Vinny, let's go." She squealed as he licked the residue of liquor off her bare shoulder and his beard again tickled her skin. Leon heard the familiar noise and came to investigate just as Vince walked Kat backwards with his hands at her waist into the dining room to dance.  
  
"Yo Dom. Is that Kat?" Leon asked. Dom merely nodded.  
  
"I guess Vince asked her." Dom finally replied.  
  
"And did I really just see him lick her?" Leon was in shock. He knew he said he didn't want to ruin her life worse by having anything to do with her again. And in truth he was pissed she beat him at races but that did not give Vince the right to move in on her. "I mean he licked her."  
  
"I gather they were shooting tequila off each other." Dom looked embarrassed. Leon moved to watch them dance together. They danced first to I'm a slave for you. Kat loved this song even though she hated Brittney Spears. She could relate. She had to slow herself down for Vince to keep up but he was doin' ok, after he got over his inhibitions about touching a girl that was not his girlfriend in the manner he had to to dance with Kat. She didn't know how to dance any other way. They danced to another song or two then B R right by Trina came on the stereo.  
  
Leon watched them dance, all over each other. But it didn't look like they were into each other like into each other, did it? Could Vince be trying to help her make him jealous? Just then Vince picked her up around the waist and spun her around. When he set her down she wrapped a leg around his waist and an arm around his neck. Vince had an arm around her waist and one on her back. Now it looked more then cozy. Leon growled. He turned to see Jesse staring with a surprised look on his face. Leon turned back just as Kat licked Vince on his right shoulder over his tattoo. "I missed some salt." Leon heard her say the he watched Vince growl at her and dip her back over his arm, causing her back to arch and her breasts to thrust up against her shirt and more of her stomach to come into view. Her hair almost brushed the floor. They had an audience again. Kat started to rap along with the song.  
  
"Bet I can make you ahhhhh next to the subwoofers and my 6X9's." Kat loved this song. Vince had never heard it before and he couldn't believe the lyrics, let alone the fact that a girl like Kat knew the words to the song. However he'd bet she could make him moan in the back seat of a car pretty well. Then he reminded himself that he wasn't supposed to think of her like that. But she left him wanting to find out what kind of shape the rear struts of his car were in.  
  
"I'm an arrogant little mother fucker huh?" Kat sang along with the song. She was hinting around what she was doing to Leon as well as just singing with one of her favorite songs.  
  
"Yeah, you are." Vince answered with a grin. He was talking about what she was doing to Leon.  
  
She playfully shoved him away from her and sang along again. "Fuck a dyme, I'ma silva dolla, Holla!" Vince grabbed her and tucked her under his arm. Then the song changed to a slow one. Kat realized it was again Almost doesn't count. Like he knew she was saddened by the song Vince pulled her close and smoothed her hair. They danced in each other's arms for the slow song, each lost in thoughts of the person that almost didn't count with for each. The song ended.  
  
"Time to go chat. We're drunk enough now." He took her into the backyard with his arm around her shoulders and they sat on the grass. They ended up with their heads side by side, feet going in opposite directions. 


	37. Vinnie?

Chapter 37 - Vinnie?  
  
"What'dya wanna talk about first Vinnie?" Kat asked.  
  
"You gonna call me Vinnie all night?" Vince sighed.  
  
"Depends, does anyone else call you Vinnie?"  
  
"Hell no. That's not my name."  
  
"What is your name then? Vincent?"  
  
"No, it's Vince. Or V to my friends. You can call me V."  
  
"What's it say on your birth certificate?"  
  
"What's it say on yours?" He snapped back.  
  
"I asked you first Vinnie."  
  
"It says Vincent Joseph. I'm Vince though."  
  
"I think after what we did tonight I should get to have a name for you that no one else has, therefore you are Vinnie to me."  
  
"Ok then, I'ma call you Kitty."  
  
"Sounds fine to me. People use to call me Kitty Kat all the time, still do sometimes." She agreed. Kitty, kitten, it was all the same. Vince growled. She was supposed to hate it as much as he hated Vinnie.  
  
"So what's your name on your birth certificate?" Vince asked again.  
  
"Katharine Leone." She answered him finally. She wasn't telling him the whole story. No one knew and she wasn't telling Vince.  
  
"No shit? Your middle name is Leone?"  
  
"Yes. Is that a problem?"  
  
"No, how do you spell that?" He asked. She told him. "Your middle name is Leon with an e on the end?"  
  
"Yes." She sighed, exasperated. She'd figured out the irony of the fact she almost had the same name as the guy she liked long ago. Vince continued on with a laugh.  
  
"There, that wasn't so hard was it? So what do I wanna talk about huh?"  
  
"Yep, you go first. Decide what we're gonna talk about first."  
  
"I wanna know why you did what you did. I heard some stories but I wanna know why right from you."  
  
"Why aren't you pissed at me for that anyway? He's your friend." Kat had to know before she told the story.  
  
"I was pissed as hell till I saw you cryin' your heart out in your back yard. Then it sorta occurred to me that you pretty much didn't have a choice in the matter. Now tell the story."  
  
"It's a long story Vinnie. 4 years of history led up to that point."  
  
"We got all night it seems kitten so humor me."  
  
"Ok, here it goes." And with that she launched into the tale in more detail then anyone knew. Even Leon after their night of asking each other personal questions. She told Vince all about how her brother had gone to sell her to someone, how she'd burned the house down, or so she assumed, how she stolen their stolen car and driven it across the country with no license, scared out of her mind the whole way, traveling only at night to try not to get caught. Staying all alone at barely 15 in shady motels that she only got with the use of her fake id. Ending up in south central and getting picked up by the guys. Being just as big of a gang banger as the guys. Being into drugs and liquor from the age of 15. She'd done it all. But sleep around. But she didn't tell Vince that. She wasn't ready to share the lack of sexual experience she had with anyone. She knew he'd just assume she'd gotten around like most people did when they heard how she use to live.  
  
She told him about how one of the guys on the gang had been killed by a rival gang and how they realized then how likely it was one of them would get killed by gang violence. But how it had been the time a rival had come after Stacy specifically and almost gotten him killed that had really made them decide they had to leave. How they did ok without the gang at first, when Kat was racing and winning. But then someone again off a rival gang had tried to kill her by running her off the road into a phone pole. How times had gotten hard while she couldn't race. She told him about how she thought she'd never race again because of her fear and because they'd had no idea how to get money to fix the car. She told Vince everything about how they'd been living, in a one room apartment with no food, heat, lights, way to cook even if they had food. No hot water and how the bugs had outnumbered them 10 to 1. She told him how they'd decided to get some money by robbing a pizza boy because they couldn't hold up the corner stores.  
  
She laughed despite herself when she told him she'd checked out Leon's ass even on that night. How she'd felt bad even then and so had Sean, or at least Sean knew it had been ridiculous. How she'd thought about the pizza boy all the time, wished she could tell him she was sorry. Tell him she knew that it was wrong. But since she figured she'd never see him again she'd put it to the back of her mind, even though she had hot dreams about him. Vince laughed at her.  
  
"Oh Vinnie. Now you know the whole sad story."  
  
"Yeah, now I do. You're some kinda fighter Kitten." Vince slipped into the proper nickname for her. She was a kitten, a pet. He didn't know how she was so sweet and innocent after all she'd been through, combined with sexy as hell and street smart like any of the team. "I don't know how you survived everything up to this point, let alone having the genius Leon say all the shit to you I know he did. Since we're being painfully honest here, is it true you tried to kill yourself, and how did you do it."  
  
She sighed. She wasn't proud she'd tried to take the easy way out like that. It was an older story then Vince no doubt assumed, but she'd tell him. It felt good to have it all out in the open, since Vince wasn't likely to remember half the details tomorrow anyway. "Well, that's a whole lota history too Vinnie. Older then you think. I was about 17, well almost 18, it was around prom time of grade 12. It was when Kale was shot and almost died. I felt like if I'd been with him, not out with my friends I woulda got the person that did it to him. I was guilty I wasn't there to watch out for him. I had this idea that the guys needed me as much as I needed them and I felt I let them down by not being there to look out for Kale. Kale's sorta easygoin' and laid back and I was the fiery one, the one who started shit. I made Kale stand up for himself and me. I thought if I'd been around those guys wouldn'ta dared start shit, or Kale woulda been more on his guard to protect me. I was guilty as hell and figured the world'd be better off without me." She paused to sniffle.  
  
"So I slit my wrist in the bath tub and waited to bleed to death. I thought there'd be less mess to clean up that way. Sean found me and I did almost die. I lost a lot of blood. Then I felt guilty for putting the guys through that and for trying to take the easy way out of my problems. That's why what he said," Vince knew she meant Leon "hit so close to home. I remember the night that Kale was hurt like yesterday."  
  
*flashback*  
  
She'd been out all night, partying with her girls. She'd had too much to drink, and some other stuff besides and she was baked. She was always baked after a party. She didn't see the problem with it. All the guys did drugs too. It was what she knew. She didn't do as much as a lot of her friends and she stuck to the 'light' stuff. She knew in her heart there was no such thing but she wanted to fit in and it was a way to escape from her life, if only for the time the high from the liquor and drugs lasted.  
  
She'd stumbled home at around 3 with Nikki. Nikki was always staying over at their place or vise versa. Nikki liked to stay with them because she had a crush on Stacy plus there was no parent at Kat's house to hide just how fucked up they were from. Kat thought it was cute Nikki had such a thing for Stacy. Both girls were beyond messed up that night. They let themselves into the apartment, trying to be quiet and failing miserably as drunk people often do. They stumbled into shit and then both went 'shush' at the same time to each other. Then they collapsed laughing into each other.  
  
They stumbled toward Kat's room, this was before they left the gang and had to move, arm in arm trying not to wake the guys. Even though Kat knew there was nothing that Nikki wanted more then to crawl into Stacy's bed. Nikki was far from a virgin and she liked to pick on Kat for the difference in their experiences. They would likely have made less noise if they'd just went instead of trying to be quiet. It didn't matter because the living room light suddenly came on and Stacy and Sean were sitting in the living room waiting. They'd been in the dark. Kat looked back at them, her mouth making a startled little o of surprise and Nikki's face mirroring the look. She knew they hated it when she got baked. It was fine for them but not her.  
  
Both girls walked toward the living room unsteadily, wondering why the guys waited up. They never waited up. Kat wondered if Sean was mad at her or something, hiding in the dark waiting for her to come home.  
  
"What's up baby boys?" Kat asked and then hiccupped.  
  
"Kat you'd better sit down." Sean started.  
  
"Maybe we should just tell 'em in the morning when they sober up." Stacy said in his quiet voice he always used to calm her down.  
  
"Tell us what?" Kat asked, getting worried. They didn't answer, just shared a look. "Tell us what?" She said in a louder voice.  
  
"Sit'own girls." Sean sighed. They sat together, Indian style on the floor. Once they were sitting down Sean started. "There was a drive-by on Connor's tonight. Kale got hit." Sean looked at Kat.  
  
"No way, this is some kinda mean joke Sean. Right?" Kat asked, not able to believe it.  
  
"No kitty cat, it's for real." Sean answered. She started to sob. Sean got up and picked her up, held her in his lap. Nikki was quietly crying too. Stacy pulled her to him.  
  
"Is he.?" Kat was scared to know.  
  
"No, but he's in critical condition. He's gonna be ok Kat." Sean stroked her hair. "You need to go to sleep so that you can come with us to see him tomorrow." Sean had to put her to bed and stay with her that night to keep her calm. She kept going on about how it was her fault for not being there and how if she hadn't been out getting drunk and stoned this never would have happened. Sean did his best to reassure her but it was no good. She finally exhausted herself and slept.  
  
Nikki and Stacy had started their relationship that night, and while it hadn't lasted forever they'd dated for almost a year and it had ended on a somewhat friendly note.  
  
About a week after Sean told her about Kale, when it was obvious he was going to pull through she'd taken a razor apart in the bathroom and climbed into the bathtub. She'd taken the razor to her wrist and slashed across as hard as she could. She cried out when she felt the sting of the blade biting into her flesh, then she'd gone pleasantly numb and it hadn't hurt anymore. Nothing had. She started to slip off into oblivion. She was smiling as it happened, no more hurting, no more worries. About 3 minutes after she did it Sean had come home to grab something and found her. It had felt like forever as she felt her blood leak out of her wrist and she felt her mind start to get fuzzy. They'd rushed her to the hospital and she'd gotten out around the same time as Kale.  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
She started to cry, thinking about it was hard still, and crying made her stutter but she kept on with the story. "I do take the easy way out and let someone else clean up behind me all the time. I mean rather then get on with life and suck it up I tried to just kill myself and let the guys deal with it." She showed him her left wrist, after she took the wristband that she almost always had on off. There was a silvery line of scar tissue along it. Vince took hold of her arm and kissed her wrist.  
  
"I'm glad you're ok. And I don't think you take the easy way out of anything. You raced Leon when you'd rather not have. You're still here, which is the biggest proof you're a survivor. I been through a lot too and I'll tell ya, I thought about killin' myself when I thought I was gonna lose my arm too. I just pussied out in the end, I couldn't do it." Vince told her in his deep growl. He was so mad at fate for doing what it had to Kat he almost had to get up and scream at the sky over it. She shouldn't have had to deal with half this stuff, let alone the shit with Leon.  
  
"Thanks V. I don't think anyone who doesn't try pussies out. I think they're too damn smart like I'm too damn stupid. Plus then I had all the hospital staff watching me all the time, like they figured I'd try it again any time. I wasn't allowed anything sharp at all and they watched me like all the time. It was horrible and demeaning." She sniffled. Vince decided that he liked hearing her call him Vinny. It was alright when it was Kat. It made him feel like they had some sort of special relationship. He'd kill anyone else who dared. "Now it's your turn. I wanna know all about Nyssa."  
  
"How'd you know her name?" Vince knew he didn't tell, he never said her full name. It hurt too much.  
  
"I have my ways Vinnie now spill."  
  
Dun Dun Dun! So the story behind why Nyssa's not around is about to come out. Stay tuned. 


	38. Right Now

Chapter 38 - Right Now.  
  
"Well, we hooked up when she was 19, she's 20 now, where ever she is. She was still in high school when I met her at races one night. She had no where to go that night but her garage. Her step father was really scary. It was in the middle of bumble fuck and she wanted me to leave her out there all alone. I couldn't do it. I brought her home with me and for the first time ever I didn't try to get on a girl in my bed. We just slept in the same bed. It kinda grew from there. I mean I taught her to race. Of course Letty says that she really did, I just gave Nys the foundation she needed for Letty to teach her the real skills she has. She has a skyline too, but she's just a good racer, not a great one like you. It just wasn't her, I mean she can race, she's won her fair share, but she'd never beat Dom, or even Leon. She's good with cars though, not Jesse good but good. She was like Mia in a lot of ways, she liked to do house stuff too. We had a lot of good times. She knew about the shit we pulled with the trucks." Vince turned his head sideways to look at Kat. He shouldn't have said that.  
  
"I knew all about it already V. Don't worry 'bout it. I'll never tell another soul." He didn't look reassured. "You guys know what I did to Leon, and I know Brian reported it so I guess I'm hiding almost as much as you guys are." Vince nodded and continued.  
  
"Well, the last one went really really wrong. And she saved my ass and helped Brian keep the whole team outta jail. She was so down, I really loved that girl. And we had a great relationship she stuck with me while I got the use of my arm back and everything, even though I was always in a bad mood. Then one night she saw me in my bed with another girl. She left without even asking me what was up, she just assumed the worst and left."  
  
"Well, hell no Vinnie, more details. Who was the girl and what was she doin' in your bed. I told you my whole sorry story."  
  
"Ok, ok. Well the girl was Letty. Her'n Dom'd had a huge fight. Dom, well, he didn't hit her I guess but he shoved her really hard against the wall and she ran. She ran to me cause I was always the one that looked out for them as kids you know, her'n Mia. I took her downstairs to calm her down and we just ended up in the bed. Nothing happened and nothing ever would, not between me'n Lett. She was just scared and I had to take care of her. But Nyssa" Vince made himself say the whole name, "wouldn't even let me explain she just flipped without asking me what happened and left. I mean, I loved her and Letty was her best friend and she assumed the worst and left me, left us. My pride wouldn't let me go begging for her just to listen to me. I shouldn't have had to explain myself anyway. I loved her and she saw me nearly fully clothed in bed with her best friend who was also nearly fully clothed and left all without ever even asking me what was up."  
  
"I see where you have every right to be mad but if you love her you need to go after her. Make her see."  
  
"It's not that easy Kat."  
  
"Sure it is Vinnie. You go, you tell her what she saw, she feels silly, you tell her you still love her, you make up."  
  
"But do I still love her?"  
  
"I don't know baby boy, you need to answer that one yourself."  
  
"Do you love Leon?"  
  
"I don't know." She sighed and thought for a minute, looking up at the stars. It was both really cool and really ridiculous to her all of a sudden to be lying in the backyard with someone who was almost a stranger to her, drunk out of her mind, spilling her guts. But it was good to get it all out too so she continued, trying to put what she felt for Leon into words. Words she wasn't sure she even knew. "Leon was the first guy I ever got serious about and we weren't even together that long. I think we had something special. I just can't go on caring about him when it's clear that I was just a good time to him and then I fuck up once, before I even know'd him and then I'm not worth the work to him. I saw him with that blonde in the house. Here I am barely gettin' by and he's already picken' up skanks. His heart wasn't ever really sure. He always held back from me. I put my whole heart into it but the guilt was always in the back of my mind you know? Plus I mean if he really cared about me in any way I don't think a skank would already be lookin' good to him. I mean you still don't really look at them and your girls been gone for months. I know it's not really the same but still." She trailed off. "He's better off without a girl like me anyway. I'm a big pain. I don't know how the guys have been puttin up wit me for the last 4 years."  
  
"Kat, I don't think anyone is better off without you, but yeah, I do know what you're gettin' at, but I don't think that Leon was holding his heart away from you, he'd never really fell for a girl before either. It was a first for both of you."  
  
"Really? A guy like him? But he coulda had any girl he wanted. I was never really sure what he saw in me."  
  
"He saw what I see. A beautiful, caring, smart, innocent woman with this sexy, crazy, daredevil side to her."  
  
"Oh V. We're goin all soft'n shit. Listen to us. We sound like old women or people in some sorta twelve step program. We sound so sad. It's kinda pathetic'n shit. There's gotta be more to life." She jumped subjects. "Are you still drunk?"  
  
"Kat we only been out here about 45 minutes, we finished a bottle of tequila, yeah I'm still loaded."  
  
"Me too. Wanna go for a walk?"  
  
"Yeah, I do, since neither of us can drive anywhere and I gotta get outta this cold wet grass." They tipped their heads to look at each other and smiled. Vince kissed Kat on the mouth but just in a friendly way and got up. Then he helped her up, she really needed his help, she was loaded.  
  
What they didn't know is that Leon had listened to their whole conversation. He felt bad about doin it but he'd had to know. He was glad to know. He knew that he wanted a second chance with Kat now. He'd go talk to her tomorrow when she sobered up. Knowing how she'd lived and how bad she'd really felt made him feel like an ass for what he'd done and made him realize that she'd never gotten to hold onto anything in her life.  
  
He watched her and Vince walk down the street, his arm over her shoulders and hers around his waist. They'd be friends for life now, they knew each others most intimate secrets now. Leon wished he'd been there for Kat instead of acting like a total ass. He hoped she'd forgive him when he spoke to her and apologized. He was sort of mad that Vince had gotten to be the one to comfort her, comfort her and be the one she finally confided in. He knew he hadn't done anything to be worthy of her trusting him with her secrets but he still wished that it had been him she'd told.  
  
He watched Vince and Kat start back up the street and Vince walked her up to her house. She stood with her back against her door and smiled up at Vince. She was thanking him for the night. Even if Leon never once tried to talk to her, which had been the whole point, she'd still had fun. She said she didn't care as much about that as she did felt good to get all the other stuff off her chest. Vince told her he was also glad to have gotten out the whole true story and to know at least one person in the world both listened to him when he said he never cheated on Nyssa and believed him too. Kat hugged the big guy and as she pulled away he leaned in and gave her another kiss.  
  
It started out just friendly but then something changed. She didn't know if it was the night, the liquor, what they'd shared, or just the fact they were both vulnerable at the time but they almost mutually deepened the kiss beyond friendly. She was kissing Vince like she'd only kissed Leon in the past and she was liking it. Even the feeling of his beard against her face. She knew in her heart it was wrong, that her and Vince didn't really want each other like this. It was just the night they'd had, they'd been all over each other then into deep emotional conversation but she kept kissing him and letting him kiss her. And when his hands started to wander she didn't stop him. It wasn't the same as with Leon, she made that distinction, even it her state. It wasn't as passionate; it was more comfortable to know that another man could turn her on like this and that she could have the same effect on him. Vince stopped kissing her for a second. If either had known Leon was still watching them from the shadows across the street one of them would have come to their senses and put a stop to what they were doing, but both were drunk, emotional and now turned on. Kat unlocked the door and turned to Vince.  
  
"You wanna come in V?" She asked shyly, quietly so the guys didn't hear.  
  
"I think I do." He said as he grabbed her and started to lick her neck and shoulder again as he walked her in the door and shut it quietly behind him.  
  
AN: Dun Dun Dun. How much do we all hate Tempest right now? Lol. Well then review for petes sake or I'ma stop updating. I didn't get any reviews hardly at all for my last update. It's getting kinda discouraging people. Pretend I need reviews like food and feed me. (I'll never stop updating but really, I update so irregularly as it is, do we want to encourage me to do it even less? Do I sound pathetic and needy yet? Good! I am all of the above. Peace to all and Merry Christmas and happy new year to all and just a wonderful holiday to those who don't really do the whole Christmas season. 


	39. A Lot Of Thinking

Chapter 39 - A lot of Thinking  
  
AN: Wow, thanks for the reviews. I want to take a second and say sorry to everyone wondering why I'm not updating RIDE. It's not prewritten and I'm having a hard time writing it. It's just on a temporary hiatus while I try to get inspired. I'll write more of it I swear. Ok. A few other things. Ya'll must know that Kat is not gonna get Nyssa's man. I wouldn't do that! But I can have some fun with it in the mean time can't I? After all Nyssa messed up big time didn't she. And yes, the story will explain more on that whole situation as time goes on.  
  
Wiliingfaith, I'm having a hard time believing you find Kat Mary Sue but you liked Nyssa. If I had to pick one that would be more Mary sue it would be Nyssa. Hell, Kat has flaws out the ying yang. I guess if you don't read the subtle hints about how insecure Kat is and how hard she tries she might seem like she's got it all easy and that she's perfect but the fact of the matter is she's not perfect. She's insecure, selfish, cocky and spoiled. I love her, I made her after all but she's far from Mary Sue. I guess it would have helped people understand if I'd written more about her past. I mean yeah, she's a great racer but she had to work for 4 going on 5 years to get where she is. It's not like most stories you read where the girl racer just walks onto the scene and starts winning. I've kind of hinted and explained how much she had to work to get where she is now before. I don't think it's fair to call her 2D and Mary Sue based on the fact there are two things she does really well. I mean, aren't there a few things you do really well? There are several I do really well. The definition of Mary Sue is a character with no flaws whom everyone loves. People hate Kat. Anyway we can agree to disagree but I will have you know that Kat is not Mary Sue and I have put a lot of work into her. I know you weren't flaming me but to be honest I'd use the old Mary Sue card a bit more carefully. It's normally pretty obvious when a character is and for some of us the Mary Sue card is a very hurtful insult. You made me even more insecure about my writing for a while there but then I had a nice talk over email with someone who's opinion I really trust, no offence to you but this girl is a fellow author and her stuff is awesome and she doesn't think Kat feels Mary Sue. Then I got over it but at first I was down right mad. Anyway, you wanted my opinion on what you said and there it is. Glad you liked She's Bonnie and for the most part like this anyway. Wow, that took a while to say. Hope you don't take offence. It wasn't my intent I just wanted to add my two cents as the creator of the girl in question.  
  
Hey PenningFantasy. Shout out to make up for my less then stellar review history on TBGO! ;) By the way, if you're not following this story(The Beat Goes On) and really anything this girl writes you should be. She's awesome!  
  
Without further ado, the story.  
  
Leon couldn't believe what he was seeing. How could they? How could Vince do this to him? A little voice told him it was only natural after all the comfort they'd offered each other that their emotions got the better of them and they were just taking the comfort to the natural next level. Even Leon'd had comfort sex before. But the thought of Vince taking what Leon had never gotten to have made him so angry. He had no right to be angry he knew. He'd had his chance and blew it. Kat and Vince deserved the chance to be happy. But hadn't Kat just finished telling Vince in the back yard she still had feelings for Leon? Then again both Kat and Vince had had a lot to drink. Leon went into the house. There was nothing he could do besides go bang the door down and he didn't want to do that.  
  
Vince locked his hands under Kat's butt and lifted her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck with a giggle. They kissed again and she licked and nibbled down his neck. "My rooms at the top of the stairs on the left, first door." She whispered in his ear. He carried her up the stairs into her room and closed the door with his foot. He leaned her against the wall and kissed her deeply again. Some part of him knew this was wrong. That they were just thinking about all they'd been through and using each other for substitutes for what they'd lost. But it felt so right and he hadn't been with anyone since Nyssa left. Kat was the first woman that had been able to turn him on. He'd tried to get with skanks since then but he was never interested in what they offered. That had messed him up more then anything. Maybe he'd always seen himself ending up with Mia before Nyssa but even while he was pining for Mia it was like his room had a turnstile and the girls just went around and around it. But after Nyssa he'd had no desire to start that back up.  
  
Kat was kissing him back and running her hands over his shoulders and back and it felt really right. Even if he knew it was right now, not right forever. He knew if they went where they were heading they'd both regret it in the morning but he wasn't going to be the one to stop her. Maybe she was meant for him, not Leon. Maybe that's why all this shit happened. Maybe it was just fate playing her hand heavily as she seemed wont to do in Vince's life.  
  
Kat was busy pulling Vince's tank top over his head. He realized what she was doing and helped her out. She ran her hands over his newly exposed flesh and gave in to her instinct to lick one of his flat little male nipples. He softly growled at her and claimed her mouth in a hard kiss again. While he was kissing her he was busy taking her shirt off her. She allowed him to remove her shirt and then when he moved lower with his kisses she threw back her head and moaned.  
  
"Vince." She whimpered like a small wild animal. He picked her up and laid her down on her bed, he started to kiss her neck and shoulder and collarbone. He moved lower and kissed her tummy just below her belly button as he took her skirt off her. "Vince?"  
  
"Yeah?" He rasped.  
  
"Do you like my tummy?" She asked with her old insecurity.  
  
"I love your tummy." It was flat, with slightly defined muscles, yet still soft and womanly. She was soft everywhere he was hard and that appealed to his maleness, his need to feel she needed him, needed him to be the strong one, the one to protect her and care for her. He used his beard to tickle her bare tummy and she laughed. He kissed it again to prove it then nipped her hip bone. She looked so amazing to him, even in the dark he could see her there with nothing on but white thong underwear that left little to the imagination, they were so white against her dark tan, her skin showing up in striking relief against the white of the sheets on her bed. He leaned over to kiss her again and she started biting on his neck and it was driving him nuts. He reached for the straps of her underwear to pull them off her. It was like they both came to at the same time, like someone hit them with cold water.  
  
"This would be a huge mistake." They said in unison and laughed.  
  
"We need to stop." Vince said and pulled her against him. "We don't know what we're doin."  
  
"I know. I think we both know we don't want this kind of relationship when we're both still hung up on other people." Kat added.  
  
"I know. But you feel so right. I know we'll be mad about it in the morning if we go where we were headed but there hasn't been anyone that managed to make me this into them since she left."  
  
"Well, no one but Leon ever made me wanna rip their clothes off before so there you go." She giggled against his side, glad that they weren't gonna be awkward with each other after what happened.  
  
"I should go home." Vince sighed.  
  
"You could just stay. We don't have to finish what we started." Kat wasn't sure she wanted to be alone.  
  
"You know how it's gonna look if we get found together like this?" Vince would stay if she really wanted him too but he didn't figure it was smart.  
  
"You're right. I don't really care, but you have to. I know it's like an unwritten rule that you don't move in on your best friend's ex without permission, and especially not if they may still have feelings for each other." Kat sighed in frustration. She was always being turned on by men who never finished what they started. She was getting very sick of her virginity but she didn't really want to lose it with Vince in a one night friends with benefits session.  
  
"I don't care just because of Leon. It's everyone and everything."  
  
"I know Vinny, go home." She sighed again. He laughed.  
  
"I know how you feel. I don't think I could stay here and not finish it. In fact I know I couldn't stay here and not. I'ma go home. I'll see you tomorrow. We'll discuss this when we're sober, Ok?"  
  
"Sure." He leaned over her and gave her another kiss and it almost started all over again. He pulled himself away.  
  
"Vinny?"  
  
"Yeah Kitten?"  
  
"Do you really think I'm pretty? You weren't just sayin' that?"  
  
"Of course I think you're pretty Kitten. I meant what I said when I told you that no one since my ex made me want them like this. I could show you just how attractive I find you right now Kat but I think it's best I go home."  
  
"Thanks Vince. You know you're the first person to ever tell me outright they found me pretty." She yawned. "I'm glad you like my tummy." She was already half asleep. She really crashed out hard from adrenaline and liquor.  
  
"That's really too bad for those other men Kat. If we end up together I can see that working but we both have some thinking to do about Leon and Nyssa before we can make that decision with a clear conscious. And you have one of the prettiest tummies I've ever seen." He added as he walked out the door.  
  
"You're right V. See you tomorrow." She yawned and rolled onto her side. She was asleep before Vince left her room, shirts in his hand. He tiptoed out of the house and home to his own. He got to his room and turned on his light. And there was Leon, sitting on his bed. He knew panic but he kept it inside. Leon knew. Vince could tell. He walked nonchalantly into his room and chucked his shirts on the pile of dirty clothes in the corner of the room. The dirty clothes pile had really gotten out of hand since Nyssa left and wasn't around to make him do his laundry.  
  
"So, Leon. How's it goin?" Vince asked, conversationally. He didn't know what Leon was going to do; he figured he'd know before long.  
  
"I been better." Leon answered. "Why'd you haveta go and do that Vince? I was gonna talk to her and you had to go and sleep with her." Leon seemed sad, not angry.  
  
"Leon, I know you saw me go in her house. That's the only way you'd know where I was, the only way you'd know I was with her. Since you know I was only with her for 10 minutes tops I hope you know we didn't sleep together." Vince answered and threw himself down onto his bed on the opposite side of where Leon was sitting. "I know it's been a while since I was with a girl, but even so if I was gonna sleep with her it'd take more then 10 minutes." Vince looked over at Leon.  
  
"But you were kissing her on her step and then you walked her into the house and closed the door. I know what I saw."  
  
"Yeah." Vince sighed. "I'll admit that I went in there with the intention of sleeping with her. But we both knew it woulda been wrong and we both decided not to go through with it. For all her trash talkin' and for being sexy as hell I don't really think Kat's been with enough men to handle casual sex. And we both knew that all we were offering each other was comfort. We couldn't do it."  
  
"You mean that Vince?"  
  
"Yeah. We just kissed. I mean I coulda physically, I'll admit I find her attractive. But I knew mentally it was wrong even when I went in there. She's still hung up on you and she's right when she said that I need to find Nyssa and work that shit out." Vince was so tired all of a sudden; he knew he was still wasted too.  
  
"I don't know Vince. I mean she was all over you and then she took you home. Even if nothing happened, she still took you into her house. She thought about having sex with you Vince. You're my best friend.  
  
"Yeah, but she's drunk, I'm drunk, she knew you watched us tonight and didn't even try to talk to her. She still thinks you don't want anything to do with her. I mean, we were together in her room and we stopped. I know I shouldn't even have gone over there but it was just the moment man. I swear nothing happened. Plus she saw you with that blonde bitch that always comes to these things." Vince looked at one of his best friends in the world and was really sorry he hurt him. But Leon had really hurt Kat. And if knowing that Vince found her sexy as hell made any of that a little better then it was worth it.  
  
"I guess. But Damn. You were all over her Dawg. And I didn't know she saw me with Kandi." Leon had to know if Vince had a thing for Kat.  
  
"I was all over her, but it was mostly for show. At least up till the time at her door. The other stuff was just friends show'n off." Vince yawned. "Besides the fact that I'ma find Nyssa and work it out Kat's still totally hung up on you. But I'm pretty sure that she doesn't know why you liked her. She doesn't seem to think men find her pretty." Vince was half asleep. He'd had a lot to drink.  
  
"I know. She doesn't think of herself as a girl in a way." Leon answered. "I'm tempted to go talk to her now." Leon looked at the door.  
  
"Man, she crashed out before I left her room. She's asleep. I'm about to be asleep." Vince yawned again.  
  
"Well then, g'night man. See you in the morning." Leon got up to leave. He turned back to his friend at the door. "Thanks for not, well.Doin' it man. And thanks for lookin' out for her. I gotta admit I listened to you two talk and I did act stupid with her, no matter what she did and I guess in a way I had it comin' that she turned to someone else for comfort." Leon figured he'd admit he eavesdropped now while Vince was tired and drunk. Even Leon didn't wanna mess with an angry Vince, but he figured he could take him drunk and exhausted.  
  
"I knew you were there." Vince answered. "That's why I had her tell the whole story." And with that he started to snore.  
  
Leon chucked despite himself and left the room, turning off the light on his way out and shutting the door. He had a lot to think about. 


	40. Confessions over chocolate

Chapter 40 - Confessions over Chocolate  
  
Vince woke up the next day with a vague idea what he'd done. He wasn't proud. But he wasn't too upset either. Might help Leon get his act together. He wondered what was about Kat that made him forget he should be mad at her for what she'd done. He thought it was the elements in her that were so much like a child. But she wasn't childish, with it's connotations of pettiness and ill behavior, she was childlike, with connotations of innocence and wonder at the world. Vince hauled himself out of bed and threw on the first clean clothes he found and checked to see that Leon was still in bed. He was.  
  
Vince went to the little bakery that made the breakfast rolls with the chocolate inside. When ever he'd had something to make up with Nyssa over he brought her these things with the chocolate for breakfast. For some reason women seemed to love these things. Vince figured that once Kat was sober she was gonna be pissed at him for taking advantage of her. He figured if he started off with a peace offering things would go better for him. He drove to her house and parked then walked to the door.  
  
He knocked and waited. The door was opened by one of Kat's friends. Vince tried hard to remember the name of the man in front of him but he drew a blank. He decided to try and bull shit his way past that fact.  
  
"Hey, is Kat around?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, but she's still asleep." The man smiled. "I guess you two had a late night."  
  
"Um, yeah. Not too late, but late enough." Vince coughed. "I told her I'd come by in the morning, we have something to talk about. About a car." Man that was lame. Vince hoped the other man didn't ask any questions.  
  
"Well, you go wake her up man, cause I enjoy havin' my nuts attached to my body." Kale laughed.  
  
"Ok, I'll wake her and then run away." Vince started up the stairs. Oh shit, he wasn't supposed to know what room was hers. "Um, hey man, which is her room?" Nice save, he thought.  
  
"First door on the left man." Vince headed up the stairs. He knocked on the door. "Kat?" He didn't get an answer. He figured she'd want time to clean up and take an aspirin before Leon came to talk. He wanted to give her a heads up as well as apologize. Plus let her know Leon knew what they'd done, or at least what they'd thought about doing. She didn't answer his call. He knew it was only 11am but he didn't know how long Leon'd wait to come talk to her.  
  
"Kat?" He called again, slightly louder. She still didn't answer. He opened the door and walked in. She was still asleep just how he'd left her but she'd sort of pulled blankets around her in a nest. She looked so relaxed and happy he didn't know if he wanted to wake her up after all. Plus, it looked like she'd just slept how he'd left her so she was still pretty much naked under that blanket. He had to talk to her before Leon came though. He walked up to the bed and shook her shoulder gently. "Kat?" He backed away, remembering her friends warning.  
  
"Um hum." She mumbled and rolled over. He laughed. She was so cute all tangled in her blankets and still asleep. The he noticed that the blanks were just covering the essentials and she was showing him a lot of skin. Vince was sorry for a second he'd left last night instead of taking what she'd offered him. He wanted to be waking up in that bed with her. Scared the hell outta him.  
  
"Kat wake up." He shook her again. She rolled onto her back and her eyes opened into slits. She closed them again as though the sun and his face had hurt them, then opened them slightly and looked at him.  
  
"Wha?" She asked in a growly, what are you doing here, why am I awake now, why does my head hurt voice. Vince thought to himself that that was his line.  
  
"Time to wake up and talk. Remember, we need to talk."  
  
"Damn it Vince. Couldn't it wait? I'm still so tired. Wanna crawl in here with me and catch a few more hours yourself?" She asked, and Vince figured she was still half asleep. She held up the corner of the blanket. He was so tempted to do it, just crawl in there with her, hold her close and fall asleep with the comfortable feeling of not being alone, and knowing that when you woke up you'd still have someone close in your arms. Might even get to kiss them awake, watch consciousness spread over their features. But he wanted that with Nyssa, not Kat. But Kat sounded good right now.  
  
"Nope, as appealing as it sounds to catch a few more hours sleep we need to talk. I brought breakfast though. Some sort of French pastry thing with chocolate it in." He held up the bag. "Consider it a peace offering."  
  
"You're forgiven, for whatever you think you did, hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt." She went to sit up and realized she wasn't exactly dressed. "Um, maybe you wanna go wait in the hall and we'll eat in the backyard huh?"  
  
"Sure. I'll be in the hall." He chuckled as he walked out of her room and shut the door. She came out about 10 minutes later, looking much better then she had when he woke her. "Feel like shit?" He asked.  
  
"Not as bad as I've felt before. You?"  
  
"I feel like a moron, but not too hung over." Vince sighed.  
  
"What's to feel like a moron over?" Kat looked at him. She thought they'd settled this last night.  
  
"Well, I'll tell you outside when we're sure we're alone to talk and eat." Vince didn't want her guys to know what had occurred.  
  
"Ok, sure." She lead him through the house and into the backyard. They sat at the table and Kat started to devour one of the pastries he'd brought her. "Ok, so tell me what's up."  
  
"Well. First off, I'm sorry for my part in last night. I know you were drunk and upset. I just feel like I took advantage of that."  
  
"Hell no Vince. I'm the one with something to be sorry over. I let us get carried away and I shoulda known better. Hell, if I was gonna pick up at that party last night I should nev'a picked you man. I know how it goes with friends. Hell, if one of the other guys wanted to date my friend Nikki it'd never happen cause her and Stacy have history. And it's old history now but you still don't move in on a friends Ex unless you know for a fact he's aight with it, and not just sayin' he's aight with it. And I know you didn't force your way in the front door. I asked you."  
  
"Aw hell, now I feel even worse." Vince answered.  
  
"Why the hell do you feel worse?"  
  
"Cause you're bein' so cool over it all and I have to tell you what I have to tell you."  
  
"Well, just tell me V. Did you go for a drive drunk and kill someone. Cause you look about that bad."  
  
"Thanks. It might be worse. Um, I don't know how to tell you this other then to tell you straight up. Leon heard us talkin' last night. He said that he didn't mean to but he walked around the house to come in the back door, heard us and then couldn't make himself stop listening." Kat sighed and frowned.  
  
"It gets better." Vince said with sarcasm. "He also watched us go for our walk."  
  
"And saw us walk into my house after we made out on the porch." Kat breathed out and then buried her face in her hands. "So he's totally pissed at you and hates me even more." She said into her palms.  
  
"You'd think that wouldn't you. But no, he had to go and make me feel like even more of an ass and take it well, believe that we didn't do anything to really be ashamed of, tell me he shoulda known somethin' like that was comin' after he treated you like he did, that he shoulda known that a girl like you'd move on to other guys sooner or later."  
  
"He said that? What'd you say to Leon?"  
  
"I told him that it was a mistake, a misunderstanding. That we just got carried away, both needed the comfort, that we both knew it wasn't what we wanted. That you were pissed he was all over the blonde ho so soon after you guys had issues and that he didn't at least try to start shit wit you."  
  
"Vinnie, you're a smarter man then you let on."  
  
He winked. "Don't tell too many people, Kay? I have a rep to worry about." She got up and walked around the table. She gave him a big hug.  
  
"I owe you big."  
  
"No you don't. I fucked up just as bad as you did girl. Now, you need ta know he's comin' to talk about this all later so be ready for that." Vince stood up. "I gotta go. Dom wants to do somethin' to that fucken' Mazda. I swear that thing's never good enough."  
  
"True dat. I know all about it. I'm always redoin' the skyline too." She smiled and shooed him toward the fence gate. "See you later, and thanks for the breakfast and the heads up."  
  
"No problem, thanks for bein' so cool."  
  
"You too Vince, you too." She ran back into her house and up the stairs. She didn't know what to do. She was terrified of what Leon was going to say to her. He was fine with Vince but that was Vince. They lived in the same house and had known each other for years and years. Kat needed to talk to someone to know what she should do. Nikki'd know. She always knew what to do about guys and the troubles that came with them. Kat called her friend. 


	41. Making up

AN: I'm finally updating again. Yeah! Ok. Now review me. Puweeze? I mean, I updated before my story dropped off to the second page this time. That should be worth something.  
  
Chapter 41 - Making Up.  
  
"Nikki, I need you girl." Kat opened the conversation on that dramatic note because she knew that'd get Nikki's attention right away.  
  
"What's up kitty cat?" Nikki asked, using her old childhood pet name for her best friend.  
  
"I fucked up and I think we need to talk in person. I need big time advice."  
  
"Come over then girl. I ain't got a car, dad took my keys away when I didn't come home that Saturday night we all went out and I haven't got 'em back yet."  
  
"Ok, I'm on my way." Kat left the house wearing what she'd already had on and headed back toward her friends house. Nikki didn't live in the exact same place as Kat had, but she lived in the general area. Kat got to her friends house and just let herself in. She'd been hanging out there for so long that she never knocked. She saw Nikki's dad on the couch. "Hey Mr. D." Kat called.  
  
"Kat, how are you? I haven't seen you in ages. You use to be here all the time." Kat liked Nikki's dad, he was strict, but he clearly loved his daughter. Kat use to hang out at Nikki's all the time to try and convince herself that some people had normal lives. Nikki's mom had been dead for some time but her dad was cool. He cared about his only child and it showed. Kat loved to see them act like a family together. She answered the questions being tossed her way.  
  
"I'm good. I got a job in an automotive supply store and me'n the guys moved."  
  
"Good. Good. What store do you work for? If you don't mind me asking."  
  
"Good lord, of course I don't mind. I work at 'The Racer's Edge". My boss Harry is a great guy."  
  
"Yes, I know that store. Caters to street racers, has a lot of products that you can only get in the USA at his store."  
  
"That's us. He took me to Japan with him just a little while ago and I helped him get even more exclusive products to sell and I got some cool stuff for my car. You may be seeing me around the tracks soon."  
  
"Why's that?" Nikki's dad was the President of the tracks in southern California.  
  
"Harry's almost got me hooked up with sponsors for NIRA." Kat smiled.  
  
"That's wonderful. You know I never did like the fact that you, and all those other kids take your lives into your hands and race on the streets." Mr. D frowned.  
  
"Well Mr. D, that's the only way to get play time when you're a 19 year old girl from the wrong neighbourhood. 'Sides, we do it safe as we can. Plus I can't think of anyone who's ever made NIRA without street time." Kat finished.  
  
"There's been a few. This one guy, Danny, he raced a skyline too, he was that good that we took him without any street time. But I guess you're right, you pretty well need to prove you and your team got what it takes first on the street. But I don't have to like it." He waved her to the stairs. "Go to Nikki before she busts." They both laughed.  
  
Kat walked into Nikki's room. Nikki was all over her the second she walked in the door, waiting for the drama. "Ok, spill. What happened?"  
  
"Well, you know that guy that I was dancing with when we went out?"  
  
"Cute butt, big green eyes, messy hair, has a thing for jerseys?" Nikki clearly remembered.  
  
"Thanks the one. Well, I liked him. We were kinda dating." Kat made a face and started to pace around the room wringing her hands.  
  
"Ok, well, he seemed aight. I mean, I always thought you'd end up with one of the guys from around Connor's. You know, a brotha, but I didn't see anything wrong with jersey guy. What's the problem?" Nikki looked confused.  
  
"Let me finish and you'll see. Well we was kinda dating and that was goin' good. I have...had it bad for him. But remember that thing me'n the guys did that I told you about that I wasn't proud of?" Kat hadn't been able to keep it to herself. It had been eating her up inside and she'd had to tell someone. She'd told Nikki knowing that the other girl would never tell anyone else.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well the guy that was involved in the thing I'm not proud of, the guy who was driving the delivery car in the whole thing I'm not proud of.Was that guy that I liked." Kat blew hair off her face and sighed.  
  
"Holy shit Kat. So then what?" Nikki was sorry for her friend but this was playing out like a soap opera and Nikki loved drama. She lived for it. Kat brought it her way in spades. Nikki always thought that Kat had a knack for getting into all sorts of trouble.  
  
"Well, what'dya think?" Kat shot Nikki a look like she figured the answer was obvious. "He figured it out. He guessed that it was me'n the guys that did that to him. And he figured it out that I hadn't ever planned on telling him at all. He was pissed and he said some really hurtful things." Kat trailed off. She didn't really want to tell Nikki exactly what was said. It was hard to think of it and she didn't want Nikki to hate Leon for what he'd said.  
  
"Like what?" Nikki wasn't going to let it drop so Kat told Nikki exactly what was said, even though it hurt her to relive it again. Nikki was the first person to ever get the whole story, unabridged and unedited. Kat told her the whole sad tale, everything that Leon had said. It had hurt her so much she memorized it all. "Asshole." Nikki breathed out when Kat was done of the story. She was as ready to find this guy and kill him as the guys. For all her trash talking Nikki knew that Kat was a sensitive girl, she wasn't as hard as Nikki herself even was. Kat was mostly attitude and bluster. It was bad temper and an act to hide behind so she didn't have to get hurt. Didn't have to care. Nikki had looked out for Kat in school, to protect her from others who would have tried to take advantage of her, especially at first. And to find out that this asshole had said that stuff to Kat made Nikki want to go pound him. She started to grab her jacket.  
  
"Well, we did do that thing I'm not proud of to him." Kat refused to say robbed him cause that was talking about it. She was still hung up on the idea of not speaking about the whole incident. More because she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want Leon to take all the blame himself either. She could tell Nikki was irate.  
  
"Still." Nikki was quiet for one of the only times Kat could ever remember. Of course Kat didn't know that Nikki was contemplating justifiable homicide.  
  
"Oh, it gets worse." Kat began again.  
  
"How could this get worse?" It was getting to the point of too much drama, even for Nikki.  
  
"Trust me, it gets worse." Kat went on to tell Nikki how she'd cooked up the plan with Vince to head over to their place, get drunk, dance with other guys to make Leon jealous and then she figured that they'd talk and get everything out in the open and stuff but that he'd been with some blonde skank and she'd gotten carried away with Vince. And how Leon had seen them go into her house together. "So now while Vince says that Leon is taking it rather well, and even partially blames himself, I don't know what to say or how to act or what to wear to meet him for the first time when he comes over. I'm so confused."  
  
"That is worse. Well, tell him the truth. You were only into Vince because he was offering you comfort when you needed it and that nothing happened. Besides it sounds like him and Vince already talked about it and Leon's coming to talk to you about not making up sooner and for the fact you saw him talking to the ho." Nikki figured that this Leon guy had all that hurt coming and more for what he'd done to Kat. If seeing Kat with his best friend had hurt him then more power to Kat and Vince.  
  
"You think?"  
  
"Yeah girl. He wants you back. And if he doesn't he's a fool." Nikki hugged Kat. "Go home and get ready. Don't get all dressed up. Wear those grey baggy cotton pants you have and a yellow or pink tank top with them."  
  
"You'd go that casual?"  
  
"Yeah, you don't want him to know you knew he was comin', and if you partied all last night then you'd wanna be comfortable today. But with a tank in either of those colors then it still looks girly."  
  
"You're right, I would wanna be comfortable. Thanks for listening Nik." Kat got up to try to get home before Leon came to talk to her.  
  
"I love ya kitty cat, take care'a you." Nikki walked Kat to the door and watched her peel off, out of the driveway and down the street.  
  
"Daddy, I'm real sorry I didn't come home, but I'm 19, do you think I could have my keys back? I just spent the night with Kat, not at some crack house." Nikki whined.  
  
"Well, just because poor Kat has no one to care if she goes home or not does not give you the right to run around like you don't either." Nikki's dad didn't look up from his paper.  
  
"I know. I'm really sorry. I'll call you fo sho' next time and let you know I'ma stay with friends, aiight?"  
  
Mr. D. held the keys out with a sigh. He hated it when Nikki talked like she forgot the English language and would often do stuff he wouldn't normally do to make her stop or go away. Nikki took them quickly, before he could change his mind and went to her room. If the thing with Kat backfired Nikki wanted to be ready to get the chocolate and sad movies and head over to help her girl through the breakup.  
  
Kat got home and ran up the stairs and into her room. She changed quickly and then put her hair up in a messy bun, like she'd spent the day doing not much of anything. Then she wandered downstairs to find the guys watching football.  
  
"Anyone call for me or anything while I was gone?" She asked.  
  
"Nope." None of them even spared her a look. It wasn't fit to talk to them while they watched sports of any sort. They didn't even really make time for her while they watched sports. She wandered into the garage and looked at the supra. She figured she may as well make herself useful while she waited, incase he never came too. She didn't want to just wander and wait all day. She had the turbo to put in, set up and add all the associated ICE onto, boost controller and turbo timer just to start. She popped the hood and grabbed her tools.  
  
She was in the middle of bolting the turbo onto the manifold when she heard the garage door open. She couldn't stop in the middle of what she was doing so she just pretended she didn't know anyone was there. It was likely Sean wondering if she was working on his ride for a change. She was always messing with the Skyline and she knew that Sean wanted her to find time to do his car. She had more free time then he did. She kept trying to make the bolt holes line up but it just wasn't happening. She was getting really frustrated with it. She figured the fact that the person hadn't said anything yet made it Sean. He always did that sort of thing, he'd sneak up behind her and try to scare her and she'd almost bean him with a torque wrench. She looked back at the turbo and took one more go at it. She forgot all about who ever was in the garage. No matter what she did the bolt just would not thread onto the manifold where it had to go.  
  
"Listen you fucker." She started to threaten the bolt. She always got like that with things that frustrated her. She started to tell them off. She was going to give this bolt a real going over. Even though she knew the bolt didn't hear her and didn't care it made her feel better to swear at it. It was like taking all her frustrations about other stuff out on the bolt that didn't care how much she yelled at it. She took a deep breath to let lose.  
  
"Should I come back another time then?" Leon asked from behind her. He'd been caught up in watching her work. He'd forgotten how much he liked to see her bent over in front of him. She had a nice butt. But he figured she knew he was there and she was still pissed and swearing at him. He was wrong. Kat jumped and spun on him.  
  
"Don't do that unless you want me to knock you out with this wrench, boy. Don't sneak up on me like that." Kat was use to watching her back and people sneaking up on her did not go over too well.  
  
"Sorry I thought you knew I was here."  
  
"I heard someone come in, since you didn't say anything I figured it was Sean. So how you been?" Kat asked. She was being cool but polite, even though she wanted to jump on him and never let go.  
  
"I'm ok. How 'bout you?" Leon wondered if she was glad to see him. You'd never guess it if she was by how she was acting. She was acting like she couldn't care less he was there.  
  
"I'm ok." She said and like he always could Leon saw through the brave act into the hurt little girl she was inside. She might be ok in general but she wasn't ok with him. She was still hurt and angry. So the cold indifference was just an act. She was trying to freeze him out so he wouldn't know how hurt she really was over the whole situation.  
  
"So, what are you trying to do to this car?" Leon asked to try and steer the topic to something neutral for awhile. He knew they'd have to talk about the hurt feelings but he didn't want to rush it.  
  
"I'm trying to install a turbo but it doesn't want to bolt onto the fuckin' manifold and I don't know why." Kat said with a sigh, blowing a little piece of hair that had fallen down out of her face.  
  
"Can I look?" Leon asked.  
  
"Sure." She handed him the wrench. He looked it over, loosened the first two bolts she'd already done, got the third one lined up now that he had some play to work with and then tightened all three.  
  
"There you go."  
  
"Thanks." She answered and leaned on the bumper of the supra.  
  
"So, well, I, um, I came to tell you that I'm sorry Kat. I overreacted and I'm sorry. I hurt you just because I was mad and I know that wasn't right." Leon was happy with how that came out. He didn't try to pretend he didn't have a reason to be angry but he still admitted he shouldn't have reacted as strongly as he had. It remained to be seen how she reacted to his apology.  
  
"Well, thanks Leon. I'm sorry for what I did too. I never thought I'd see you again and it came as a big surprise to find out you were Brian's friend. I should have told you." She was looking into the engine of the supra, not at him. Leon knew she wasn't as not angry with him as she would have him believe. But he could tell she also was sorry for what she'd done.  
  
"I hope you can forgive me someday Kat. I'd like to think we can be friends." Leon thought that was a good place to start. She had still yet to look up from the car's engine bay to look him in the face. She looked up at him then.  
  
"Even though I beat you on the street?" She asked him. She had to know if he was going to be able to live with that. Everyone had seemed so sure that he wouldn't be able to take it.  
  
"Even though you beat me on the street. I mean I really tried, the best racer won and that's all there is to it. I admit I was really mad at first, but the more I think about it the less it matters to me. I mean you must be doin' somethin' right to get into the import tuner." Leon tried not to remember how she'd looked in that magazine and how mad he'd been imagining other guys staring at his girl. Whether she was officially his girlfriend or not at the time she was his girl. He honestly felt that way.  
  
"You're mad about that aren't you?" She asked, perceptively. She could tell he didn't seem pleased about her pictures.  
  
"No, why would I be mad?" Leon asked, wondering how she picked up on his anger. He'd thought he'd done a good job of hiding it from her. He generally was good at hiding his angry feelings from the world.  
  
"Because you seem to think that I went away and was immediately over what I did and what I felt for you, that I was just having a great time making magazine articles. I just did it to take my mind off things and because Harry wanted me to. I never knew the articles would come over here, I assumed they'd only run them in Japan."  
  
"I'm not mad. I was surprised as hell, I'll give you that. Your, um, car looks great." Leon didn't know how else to put it. "Plus, I'm not nearly as over you as I'd have the world believe and I was jealous of every last one of those other guys who were reading that magazine." Leon didn't figure admitting that could do him any harm. He figured he was right when she blushed. She could be so dense by times but so perceptive at other times. How'd she know that he felt she'd forgotten about him right away like that?  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, really." She seemed to believe him but then she moved on to other topics.  
  
"Well, when I saw you with that blonde ho in your lap how do you think I felt?" Maybe she shouldn't have brought that up. It was like forcing him to bring up the Vince thing. But the first time she'd seen him since she'd gotten back she saw him all over some random skank at a party. That wasn't exactly what he'd do if he was hurting over her.  
  
"I know. I'm sorry. But you got me back dancing with Vince like you did. Trust me."  
  
"I guess it's time to talk about what Vince and I did, huh?" Kat scuffed her foot back and forth over the floor, looking at the floor instead of him. She was so embarrassed about what she'd done.  
  
"I got the story from Vince and I can't blame you for that. I mean unless you have feelings for Vince, in which case I think you should go after him." She'd never know what it cost him to make that offer. She looked up in pure shock. Was it a good thing or a bad thing that he was willing to see her with his best friend? She looked into his eyes and realized he wasn't willing to see her with Vince. He just wanted her to be sure she wanted to be with him.  
  
"Naw, I don't like Vinnie that way." She giggled. Leon laughed.  
  
"Vinnie?" It was strange to hear his friend called that.  
  
"If you call 'im that he'll kill you." She smiled. "So, we aight then?"  
  
"Yeah. We're cool. I'd like to give it another try Kat. Maybe slower then before. Get to know each other better. Put the past behind us." Leon hoped that was what she wanted too.  
  
"I think I'd like that. But it'll have to be really slow. Cause you really hurt me. I know I messed up too but you really hurt me. I'm just bein' honest wit you, It's gonna take a long time before I fully trust you not to hurt me again." She had to throw that out to him, it was true. After all, she might have done something really wrong but he'd gone out of his way to make her hurt like hell and she didn't know if she could live through that again if he should take it in his head to try to punish her like that again.  
  
"Fair enough. Well, I'ma go now, I'll call you someday soon and we can make plans to do something. Go dancing or to a movie."  
  
"Ok. Sounds good." Leon went home. Kat went into the living room and noted football was over. She was ok to talk to the guys. "We made up, sorta."  
  
"That's nice Kat." Sean smiled.  
  
"What do ya mean sorta?" Kale asked.  
  
"Well, I told him honestly that he really hurt me and while I was willing to give it another try it had to be really slow because it was gonna take me a long time to get over it and be able to trust him again. I mean I know that we did something shitty to him we didn't know him when we did that, he knew me when he said all those hateful things." Kat looked at the guys. "Am I stupid to even have anything to do wit him?"  
  
"Naw, you need to give it a shot or you'll always be wondering what if. You did good telling him that you'd need to take it slow Kat. If it works it works, if it doesn't then at least you'll know."  
  
"Thanks Stacy, that means a lot." Kat smiled. "He says he's not mad I kicked his ass."  
  
"He's lying but it's good of him to try'n let you think that." Sean said.  
  
"That's what I thought too." Kat giggled. "You guys love me and you know I can kick all yo asses. Why's that? I mean ya'll don't get mad at me for it."  
  
"We understand you Kitten, and when you understand the nature of a thing, you know what it's capable of." Stacy laughed. "Plus, you's a better racer, nothing to do 'bout that."  
  
"Well, thanks anyway for always bein' there, and not hating the fact that a little girl can whoop yo' ass all over the track, street."  
  
"No need to rub it in Kat." Sean said, but he was smiling.  
  
"Alright. I know I'm that damn good and that's all that matters I guess." She smirked and headed into the backyard to relax in the sun. 


	42. Closer to OK

Chapter 42 - Closer to OK  
  
Leon walked back into his house and sat down at the kitchen table.  
  
"Where you been Leon?" Dom asked him, coming in the back door after he and Vince returned from the garage.  
  
"Out." Leon answered and hoped to leave it at that.  
  
"Yeah, where'd ya go?" Vince asked from behind Dom.  
  
"Just out." Leon answered.  
  
"He went to see Kat." Vince smirked. "She shoot you down brotha? Is that why you're in such a bad mood?"  
  
"Shut up dawg." Leon didn't want Dom to know about this yet.  
  
"Leon, I thought that the situation with Kat was over." Dom groaned.  
  
"Well, I like her and I owed her an apology, which she accepted I might add," Leon added for Vince's benefit, "and she wants to try again now that there's nothin' bein' hidden. Well, I mean it was my idea to try again but she wants to too. I can't help it Dom. I need to try again and see where this can go." Leon hoped Dom would understand.  
  
"Alright Leon, but just don't say I didn't warn you when this goes bad again. I just have a feeling it will. Besides that how can you stand to know your girl can race better'n you?"  
  
"I don't know man, it pisses me off in some ways I guess but in others it really doesn't matter. It's just what she does. It wasn't personal. She's good and she can't pretend she's not just to be wit me. And if this goes bad or not I had to know." Leon looked from Dom to Vince.  
  
"Very adult of you brotha." Vince said and nodded. He left the room to go change, calling back over his shoulder, "I'da been pissed as hell 'bout her kickin' my ass", laughing all the way.  
  
Dom shot a dirty look after Vince and stalked out of the room. Dom didn't want Leon to be dating a girl that could very well end up beating him. He didn't figure she would, but out of all the people that he'd had to run in the last long while he figured that Kat could come closer then any of them had in that time. He didn't want to have to see her and play nice if the day came that she put him in his place on the streets. But he'd already told Leon his life was his own and he couldn't take that back now.  
  
Leon sighed. He sure hoped that his relationship with Kat was worth it because Dom was clearly pissed at him. Leon didn't even know if he and Kat had an exclusive relationship or if they were just gonna date some. He hadn't wanted to push her. He had to be honest with himself that he hadn't totally forgiven her for what she'd done either. He just had this burning desire to be with her and it over rode his sense of being pissed at her. But when she wasn't in the same room as him driving him to distraction with desire to kiss her the anger came back. He figured that'd go away with time.  
  
Kat was lying in the sun in the backyard with her shades on. She was almost asleep anyway the sun felt so good on her skin and her eyes were closed. Like warm silk, or the soft touch of a lover on her skin, it was a feeling of deep comfort as the sun melted into her and relaxed all her muscles. She could even smell it, it smelled like fresh cut grass, kittens, and salt air all rolled up. She felt like a pile of Jello she was so sun baked, relaxed. She'd needed this. She was going to be as dark as the guys if she didn't ease up on the sun though. But she just loved this feeling. Lying in the sun like this was like baking contentment into her very bones. She didn't have a worry while the sun was beating down on her. It chased all the cold worry and fear out of her and left only warm yellow light in her soul. The sun centered her, grounded her and made her feel mellow. Kat was never mellow, but she was in the sun. The hot California sun wiped all memories of the watery sunshine of New York and what came after from her mind.  
  
The feeling was shattered and the worry and fear crept back in when she heard the voice from hell over her left shoulder from the gate. "Can we talk?"  
  
She wanted to say no but she doubted he'd go away anyways and then he'd just get pissed and run to Leon about it. She sat up and took off her glasses, blinking at the sunspots she saw even though she'd had the shades on.  
  
"Sure, I guess. I'm not really dressed for company." She gestured at her brief purple swimsuit.  
  
"S'ok. I just had to talk to you about something." Dom walked into her yard and sat in one of the other lawn chairs. He admired the view from behind his own dark glasses. The girl had a tight body; he couldn't fault Leon for wanting to get with Kat that way. Kat had been lying down on a lounge chair but now she sat up.  
  
"What's on your mind dude?" Kat asked. She knew why Dom was here. Why else would he be here. He was mad that her and Leon were speaking again.  
  
"You been spendin' too much time around Brian." Dom chuckled at her calling him dude.  
  
"I was like this long before Brian." She smiled though.  
  
"Well, I just wanted to talk to you about." Dom trailed off. He didn't know how to put it. He really had no business being here and he didn't want her to run back to Leon and tell him that Dom had been over harassing her.  
  
"Whatever Dom, just spit it out boy. I don't bite." She tried to smile. It looked forced, which it was.  
  
"Well, are you really into Leon, or are you just getting back with him for some form of revenge for what he did to you?"  
  
"Normally I wouldn't answer that because it's really nonea your business." Dom had the grace to look embarrassed that she was right and it wasn't his business. "But since I know you care about your team as much as I care about mine I'ma answer you. I'm really into Leon. I don't know where I see anything between us goin' which is why I told him I wanted to take things really slow, but I'm not using him or plannin on dumpin' his ass to try to get back at him down the road. Is that what you wanted to know?"  
  
"Yeah, that was all I wanted to know. He was just really shook up by both what happened before you knew him and by how shit went down after. Plus your buddy gave him a nasty right hook to the jaw. And bruised his backside when he landed." Dom looked serious. Kat threw her head back and roared with laughter. Every time she pictured Leon sitting in the dirt shaking his head and her guys starring him down she had to laugh.  
  
"I heard 'bout that. Stacy told me that he 'decked the punk' even though I'd asked them not to hurt him and then Stacy tried to make on like he was sorry for it. He told me 'bout how Leon fell on his ass. I tried to be mad they did that even though I asked them not to but I mean, maybe you all don't know just what Leon said to me, but it wasn't nice. I mean it's not like I did anything deliberately to him but he went out of his way to hurt me that day. Stacy says 'the punk' had it comin' and I kinda agree with him. But I don't want him to ever do anything like that again. You know the sad thing is Leon had more to be afraid of from Sean but Stacy protected Leon in a way on his own."  
  
"How so?" Dom had to know how decking a man in the face was protecting him from anything.  
  
"Well, when Leon dragged me out of the store he left these little bruises on my arm. I was careful to have a sweater on when I first talked to the guys, knowing they'd go nuts and I was still only blaming myself for what happened and I didn't want the guys to kill Leon when I thought that I was the only one to blame. I mean, I don't bruise easy but I knew it wasn't intentional. But when Harry and I walked out to his car I'd already changed and I forgot to cover the marks up. Stacy saw 'em. He was really pissed. You need to know that Stacy's a hot head, much like Vince if you can imagine, and he's the one I really worried about gettin' violent. I figured that he'd go after Leon just for saying what he said. Sean would never have gone after Leon just for talkin' trash if I asked him not to, but if Sean had known that Leon left marks on me in anger, no matter if it was just an accident or not Leon'd be dead. And I'm not foolin'. Sean almost killed this punk at races when I first started goin for something similar. Stacy knew that and he didn't tell Sean. And he somehow managed not to kill Leon, managed to stop with one punch. That's a big deal for them."  
  
"Whoa. I didn't know that Leon grabbed you like that." Dom couldn't see Leon hurting anyone on purpose.  
  
"Yeah, well, it's old news now. It's over and done wit. I'm just sayin' that Leon's lucky Sean didn't see the marks. I couldn't stop him from goin' after Leon. I can control them to a certain extent but hey, they each outweigh me by 100 pounds." Dom chuckled. She laughed, then turned serious. "You gotta remember that these guys have been lookin' out for me since I was just a kid. You have a kid sister, just think how pissed you'd be if someone grabbed her hard enough to bruise her, dragged her out of her work and called her down to the lowest and then left. Well, it's like I have three brothers who have not one quarter of the control over their emotions you do. Where we come from if someone wrongs you, you take your crew and go take care of it. That's just how it was for us."  
  
Dom nodded to show he understood and then stood up. "Well, thanks for talkin' to me 'bout this. I know that I was outta line to even talk to you 'bout it, it's none of my business."  
  
"You're just watching out for your friend. I appreciate that." She walked him to the gate. Dom was surprised that she was taking his showing up unannounced to go into stuff that was none of his business this well. Kat was annoyed that Dom had stuck his nose into her business, but then she had to appreciate the fact that he just didn't want to see Leon hurt, he just cared about his friend. Kat went into her house to change.  
  
She put on her kicking around clothes and headed downstairs. "So guys, you wanna go out to eat? I don't wanna cook."  
  
"Sure." Kale answered and got up.  
  
"Kat, can I see you in the kitchen for a second?" Sean asked her.  
  
"Um, sure bro, what's up?" She asked when they reached the kitchen.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me the punk grabbed you and dragged you outta the store?" Sean was seeing red.  
  
"You listened in on my conversation with Dominic?" Kat was now livid too.  
  
"Well, I heard you start to tell him that and I couldn't stop listening." Sean calmed down a notch, but he was still pissed.  
  
"I didn't tell you because of this exact reason. I knew you'd go ballistic and it was a mistake on Leon's part. I know he shouldn'ta done it but I knew you'd haveta beat on him for it and I didn't know if you'd stop before it was too late." Kat answered.  
  
"You shoulda told me." Sean wasn't letting it drop that easy.  
  
"It doesn't matter now bro, it's all water under the bridge. Stacy gave him a nice bruise on his chin and on his ass where he landed so we's square now." She smiled to try and lighten the mood, to try to let Sean know that if she considered the matter over and forgiven then he should too. He took the hint and Kat was glad. The subject was far from closed in Sean's mind though. The punk had another visit in his near future. They went out to eat.  
  
Almost a week went by and Kat still hadn't heard from Leon. She was starting to wonder if he'd changed his mind about wanting to see her again. She knew she'd said slow, but she didn't mean never. She could also tell that Sean was glad that Leon wasn't coming around. He was still totally mad that Leon'd done what he did and that Kat covered for him. Kat hoped that Leon saying he wanted to try again wasn't just another way to get back at her. If so not only would he have broken her heart yet again, but the only reason Dom came to see her was because he'd heard that she and Leon were back together, and the fact that Dom came over had made Sean mad at her in the end.  
  
Sean was really still not speaking to her. He was really mad. He saw it as his job to take care of her and in his mind she had prevented him from doing his job by not telling him that Leon had hurt her. But she couldn't help that now. She knew Sean would come around. He always did. She got back into her normal routine at work and the interest in her died off. Guys still came in and tried to pick her up but she somehow made them all feel that they were better off being just her friend. On Friday which was payday she got up and went to get some money for the week.  
  
She walked into work with a puzzled look on her face. She saw Harry was in his office and she just let herself in and sat down in the chair across from him. He was on the phone. She started to study her nails while she waited for him to get off the phone. She was trying to let them grow out but she didn't know how that was going to work out for her, she figured the first time she worked on a car with long nails one of them would break and that would be the end of the long nail project. Harry was clearly talking to someone in Japan about some product, but he was smiling so Kat figured that it must be going well, he was not in a bad mood. She kicked her legs over the arm of the chair and sat sideways with one of the magazines off Harry's desk. 


	43. Why Can't I have You?

AN: Well, as Twisted pointed out the last chapter just sort of died. As such I decided to take pity on everyone and update again before I was ready to update my other stories. Oh well, they say doing things against a neurosis is good for you. Oh fantasy how well you know me already. Drama Drama Drama. Never doubt it. It'll come. I'm never kind to my fav characters for long. I think we chatted about that once. It's not fun or realistic if everything goes their way. Hehe. Knight, whomever you are, THANK YOU!!! Gutted to reach the end of what was posted? What a compliment! A thousand thank yous to everyone reading this story and to everyone reading, let me know what you think. Peace n'speed, Tempest. The crazy car chick.  
  
Chapter 43 -  
  
Harry hung up the phone. "Hey Kitten, what do ya need?" Harry asked her with a smile.  
  
"Um, well, someone messed up my check."  
  
"How so?" Harry was still grinning.  
  
"Well, they.Um.I, well." She was clearly flabbergasted. "They added an extra 0." Kat looked almost upset.  
  
"Yeah, no one messed up. I gave you a raise." Harry leaned back in his chair and just grinned at her.  
  
"No one gets raises like that Harry, that's just insane." Kat frowned.  
  
"Well, you just did. I mean, you'll have to start showin' up earlier, maybe stayin' later, and doin' more paperwork, but I expect that of a partner. Even if you are just a junior one."  
  
"A partner? You made me a partner?"  
  
"Yep. I took you seriously when you said you were in for life. I hope you meant it."  
  
"Harry!" She squealed, flew over his desk and onto him. She gave him the biggest hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You just try and get rid of me!" Harry hugged her back.  
  
"Ok then, go to work." He sent her out of the office with a smile. Kat spent the rest of the afternoon waiting on people with a goofy grin on her face. Edwin came in the store to buy parts for his Acura.  
  
"How's it goin' kid?" He asked her.  
  
"I don't think I could be much better Edwin, or I might bust. You?"  
  
"I blew my head gasket so I could be much better. Please tell me you have one in stock." Edwin sighed.  
  
"On second." She used the computer to check. "Yep I do have one." She went and got it out of the back. She sold Edwin his part.  
  
"Nice win you got the other night. Leon's one hell of a racer but you got him."  
  
"Yeah, he is a good racer, but hey, I'm the best." She smiled to show she was playing around.  
  
"Yeah, you're pretty good kid. But next race night when I have a ride," He held up his gasket, "I might want a shot at ya."  
  
"Bring it on Edwin. You can have all the shots you want. You'll never win, but you can have all the shots you want."  
  
Edwin grinned at her.  
  
"You're one cocky kid."  
  
"I am but you know it's part of my charm." She grinned.  
  
"See ya kid."  
  
"Yeah, see ya Edwin."  
  
She went back to entering stock in the computer.  
  
*~*  
  
Leon was still mulling over the visit he'd had from Sean. It seemed that he'd hurt Kat even worse then he'd thought. He hadn't known he'd grabbed her hard enough to leave marks. Leon hated men who beat women and while he knew he hadn't beaten on Kat it seemed almost as bad to grab her hard enough to mark her skin. He'd listened to Sean go on about how he hadn't known when they came to warn him the first time, and how lucky Leon was that he hadn't because he never would have let him off with just being told off if he'd known.  
  
Sean planned on beating some bruises onto the punk over what he'd done. But the other man was so clearly mad at himself, so depressed almost when Sean told him that he couldn't bring himself to do it. It was obvious the other man hadn't known what he'd done, just like Kat had assumed, that if he had known what he was doing it never would have happened. Sean walked off after telling Leon that if he ever laid a hand on Kat hard enough to mark her skin again they'd be finding pieces of him and his car all over LA.  
  
When Sean threatened to blow up his car with him in it Leon turned white under his tan. He knew the other man had it in him to do it. He didn't know if it was wise to continue to have anything to do with Kat. Leon was upset that it seemed that Dom was right. He would have been better off if he'd never had anything to do with Kat. And now he'd told her that he wanted to try again. He really did, but still, her friends were dangerous to mess with. It was almost a week ago that they'd spoken and he'd never spoken to her or called her since. He was going to have to soon or she'd be figuring that he'd just pretended he wanted to get with her again. He was trying to think up something that normal couples might do together when they first started to date.  
  
He could take her to a movie, or out dancing. Those things just seemed so done. Everyone did that stuff. But then again what else was there? If he took her anywhere private he was just going to be all over her in a heartbeat and that wasn't taking it slow. He figured he'd call her tonight and then just play it by ear. See what she wanted to do, if she'd have anything to do with him after he'd failed to speak to her for the whole week.  
  
*~*  
  
Kat was having a great day at work after her news from Harry. Brian was clearly pleased for her. When she thought of the fact that Leon had never spoken to her she got sort of upset but she didn't let herself dwell on it. She thought about calling him but decided against it. The ball was in his court at this point and she wasn't chasing after him. She had an idea in that second. Why should she sit around waiting on him to call? She'd call Nikki and they could go out dancing. She picked up the phone and dialled her friend's number.  
  
"Hey Nikki." Kat answered after her friend picked up and said hello.  
  
"Hey Kitty cat, what's up?"  
  
"Nada. Other then the fact that Harry made me a partner in the shop, it's a lot more responsibility, along with a huge raise however."  
  
"No shit?"  
  
"For real girl."  
  
"Kat that's super!" Nikki was pleased for her friend. "So how'd the meeting with Jersey go?"  
  
It took Kat a second to realize that Nikki meant Leon but didn't remember his name. "Oh, you mean Leon. He came to see me, we talked. He said he wanted to give it another chance. I agreed but said I wanted to take it slow because it was like we rushed last time and look how that turned out."  
  
"Good plan. So how's it goin'?"  
  
"It's not. He never called or anything since. I don't know what's up but I refuse to chase him down. That's why I called. Let's head out tonight. Tell your dad you're spendin' the night with me and then we'll go to Voodoo. We might even be able to convince Stacy to come with." Kat said with a smile in her voice.  
  
"I'd love to go out Kat, but I'm so over Stacy, it doesn't matter if he comes or not." Kat could tell her friend was lying.  
  
"Ok then, I won't ask him, we'll just go." Kat waited for the inevitable. She wasn't disappointed.  
  
"Oh you can ask him if you want." Nikki didn't let her down; Kat had known she was going to say that.  
  
"Ok, we'll ask the guys to come with." Kat would never have gone without at least extending the invite anyway.  
  
"It really doesn't matter. What're ya gonna wear?" Nikki moved on to more important topics.  
  
"I hadn't thought about it. You didn't hit races so you never saw my angel outfit." Kat described the white outfit.  
  
"Wear that. It's not like you'll see anyone you know from races. Maybe Edwin but who cares 'bout him?"  
  
"You think I should wear it? It's pretty different from what I'd normally wear to Voodoo."  
  
"Yeah, it sounds awesome. Different isn't bad." Nikki wanted to see this outfit. It sounded unreal.  
  
"Ok, wanna get ready at my house? I could pick you up after work and you could bring your shit over to my house to get ready."  
  
"Sounds good, I'll get packed now."  
  
"See you 'round 7 then. Bye." Kat hung up. She didn't need Leon to go out and have a good time. She checked the clock. Only 2 hours till she left to get Nikki. The two hours went really fast and before she knew it she was off out the door. Brian asked her if she had plans but she sidestepped answering him, she told him she wasn't sure what she was doing. She swung by Nikki's and got her friend.  
  
They went out to grab a quick bite to eat because Kat did not want a repeat of how sick she'd ended up after the last time they went out and Nikki admitted she'd been pretty ill the next day too. They went to a fast food drive thru and ate greasy food. They figured it would help soak up the liquor.  
  
Then they headed to Kat's and started to get ready. Kat put on her white outfit and Nikki was in shock. "That looks crazy awesome girl." Nikki said.  
  
"You think?"  
  
"Yep. What're ya doin' wit your hair?" Nikki hoped she didn't say braids. She really didn't want to have to do them.  
  
"I thought I might leave it down and straighten it out as much as I can. What'dya think?"  
  
"That sounds good. When did you cut the purple out by the way?"  
  
"Right before I went to Japan." Kat avoided saying because I thought Leon would like it better this way. "Why, should I put it back in?"  
  
"Up to you. I liked it with the ends coloured. It's so blonde though, it looks good plain too."  
  
"I think I like it the way it is for now." Kat said after she thought about it for a second. They finished getting ready and then headed downstairs. It was far too early to leave the house to go to Voodoo yet, however they figured they'd go downstairs and hang out with the guys before they left and tell them where they were going.  
  
"Where you goin' all dressed up?" Kale asked the two girls as they walked into the living room. The other two guys looked up from the TV.  
  
"Voodoo. You wanna come?" Kat asked.  
  
"I'm not in the mood." Sean answered, surprising Kat. She'd have killed sometimes to have him say that when she was younger, but now she wished he'd come. And he normally wouldn't have missed a chance to go to the club and dance with her. She wondered why he was in a bad mood. She wanted to find out but she was scared the answer would have something to do with him still being mad at her over Leon. Kale also declined but Kat wasn't as surprised about that. Kale often hadn't really wanted to go out. Stacy looked at Nikki in her little red skirt and yellow halter and decided he'd go.  
  
Kat knew that Nikki would be pleased. Kale offered to drive them down around 10, Kat liked to arrive earlier then most people so she could visit with all her friends on staff before they were really too busy to hang out with her. They all got in the Eclipse and Kale drove them down.  
  
They walked into the club and started making the rounds. The two girls got hugs and kisses on the cheek from most of the staff and Stacy did his little manly handshake with them all. They walked around just socializing and catching up for the first hour, then the place started to fill up and the music changed tempo. People the girls knew started to arrive. The place didn't take long to fill up and Kat and Nikki were never short people to dance with. Kat noticed that Stacy claimed her friend for more then one dance however.  
  
Kat was a bit upset when she let herself think of it that she was just dancing with friends and random guys that wanted to dance. She figured that in a perfect world Leon would be there dancing with her. However the world was far from perfect, her life had proven that to her time and time again. Even still Kat couldn't really complain about how things were going for her lately. She put it all out of her mind and just felt the music while she danced with a guy she went to high school with. He'd been a friend then and she was enjoying their dance. She was having a good time watching Nikki and Stacy dancing.  
  
*~*  
  
Leon screwed up his courage and gave Kat a call around 10 only to be told she went out with her girlfriend dancing. He figured he had that coming. He couldn't leave it till 10 the night he wanted to see her to ask her out, she was bound to have other things to do. He guessed she'd be down at the same club they'd gone out to before. He thought about if he wanted to go down and try to find her or just let it go and see if she wanted to catch up after races the following night. He decided he had nothing to lose to go down to that Voodoo club and see if he could find her, maybe get a dance in.  
  
He hopped in the car and headed down.  
  
The place was packed. He didn't see anyone looking like Kat anywhere. There was a crowd standing around something in the middle of the dance floor. Leon moved closer to try and get a look.  
  
The DJ spoke as Leon moved in. "This one goes out to Kat. So don't kill me ok?" He laughingly asked the crowd. He normally would be kicked out of the building for playing that artist. Kat knew what song was coming. They always joked that other then her height it was her theme song. She shouted at the DJ.  
  
"You need to shut the f up nigga." Kat shouted at the DJ booth as she flipped the man off. But she laughed while she said it. She didn't think she was as bad as the woman in the song. The DJ spun the rest of the song. Leon watched her give the DJ attitude then listened to her song.  
  
*5 foot 9. She's got legs for days. Green eyes that cut like a knife and her own little sexy sway. Oh, she don't waste no time, movin to the floor, and when she starts to move she has you callin yo mamma saying you wanna go home.*  
  
Kat was blushing but she was dancing with Nikki anyway. She always got so embarrassed when they did that, played this song and called it her song.  
  
*Baby, tell me Why can't I have you? Why you running girl? I just wanted to love you*  
  
They always said that no man could have her, that she almost ran the other way when any guy showed too much interest but she had this attitude, just a way of acting and speaking, and of course her looks that made men fall for her and that made strangers believe in love at first sight. Kat however knew that for most of them it was all an allusion. They didn't want her, they wanted that girl. The girl who ran with the Tigers, raced her Skyline, built it herself, and was more bad ass then half the men they knew. They just wanted to be the guy who got that notch on their belt, the guy who finally got Kat to date them. Well, she wasn't going to be that girl. She didn't want to be a prize for some guy. So she convinced them subconsciously they didn't want her for their own anyway and most of them bought it. Leon was the first one ever who didn't. He got through, even though she tried not to let him. She'd lost that fight. She couldn't help but think that fate was real and must have played a big part in her meeting Leon at all.  
  
*It's ok to be scared Cause this girl is super bad. She will probably be The best thing that you never had. Oh. Don't waste no time, trin' to make her yo own, No. Cause what she says goes and like boys to men said this is the end of the road Oh.*  
  
Nikki was laughing at Kat even as they danced because the other girl was still so embarrassed to be singled out like that. Even if she did know most of the people who were in the club. And they'd been doing that to her for a while now. The DJ would hear a song that reminded him of Kat and would play it on Friday and send it out to her. It had been Miss Independent for the longest time. That had been worse because Miss Independent was hard to dance to. At least this song had a rhythm.  
  
Leon listened to the song, and they sure described Kat, well other then the 5 foot 9 part. But she even did have really long legs for her height. But he didn't get the rest of it. She'd never acted like an unattainable girl he'd never had around him. He asked a random bar patron why they called this Kat's song.  
  
"Cause every guy in this place has tried to get wit her at some point and ain't one of 'em succeeded. She just convinces 'em that they wanna be her friend not her lover. Don't know how she does it. I know one thing, girls gonna be the best thing I never had. Man, look at her." Leon and the guy looked. She was the best thing he'd almost had for sure. They were playing a new song, a faster song and the tall kid about Kat's own age was dancing with her.  
  
"So she's never dated anyone at all?" Leon asked, incredulously.  
  
"Not unless you count her buddy Sean. And that didn't last long. Far as I know she's never dated anyone at all. Maybe guys from around Connor's but not anyone I've ever heard of." And with that the guy walked off.  
  
That surprised the hell out of Leon for some reason. He figured she must have dated before. He knew she'd called him her first serious boyfriend when she talked to Vince, but he never would have guessed he was the only guy she'd ever dated period.  
  
He watched her dance with the kid for the rest of the song. One of the kid's legs was between Kat's and vise versa. The guy was looking down at Kat with a look of admiration mixed with lust and Kat was looking down while she tossed her head to make her hair do a dance of it's own. She looked up at the kid with a smile and a laugh. The kid laughed back and said something to Kat that made her smack him on the shoulder in mock reproach.  
  
Leon decided now was the time to announce himself. He reached her side as the song ended. 


	44. too little too late

AN : hey all. So close to a major development of the story. Maybe lots reviews will make this much anticipated event come faster. ;) Take a hint people! Anyway, on to the story.  
  
Chapter 44 - Too Little, Too Late  
  
"Hey." He said, chastising himself for being lame, again.  
  
"Hey." She said back. She wanted to jump for joy, but something told her that it wasn't a great idea to let him know such a small effort pleased her. It was sort of too little too late.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't call sooner. Things were hectic at work and I spent most of last week under a car or asleep." It was true but he could have made time to call.  
  
"S'ok." She gave him a small smile. She didn't totally buy his story but it was better then nothing. She checked for Nikki and the other girl was talking to Stacy off to one side. The music started again. "You gonna dance wit me or just stand there?"  
  
"I'll try to dance with you, but you're better at it then I am."  
  
"I'll go slow. You know, this kind of dancing should be done like driving a Honda." She gave him a smug grin, confident he would play into her hands and ask how so.  
  
"How's that?" He asked and didn't disappoint her.  
  
"Hard, obscene and loud enough for the neighbours to hear." She tried to keep a straight face but gave up when Leon threw back his head and laughed. "They say the same thing about driving a Honda and sex, they're both done slow, obscene and loud enough for the whole neighbourhood to hear." She laughed at the look on his face.  
  
"What're you doin' talkin' like that and lookin' like you do?" Leon couldn't believe the angelic creature in front of him had spoken like that.  
  
"I once had to drive a Honda." She said simply. Leon laughed till tears ran down his cheeks.  
  
"Me too." He gasped out. Kat shot the DJ a look and the DJ knew what she wanted. B R right. He spun the track. Now Leon was gasping trying to keep up. He did ok. 3am came along quickly and the club closed down.  
  
"Well, I had a nice time Leon." Kat said as she walked out of the club into the cooler night air.  
  
"Me too. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner."  
  
"S'ok." Kat was glad she'd stayed pretty well sober for the evening. She didn't trust herself not to throw herself at Leon if she had had anything much to drink. And she didn't want to go there yet. She wanted him like crazy, but he didn't need to know that yet. She still didn't trust him. Wanting him and trusting him were two totally different things.  
  
"How you all getting home?" Leon asked. "Cause I have to go that way anyway if you want a ride."  
  
"Ok. We'd love a ride." Stacy and Nikki agreed with a look that a ride sounded good. They all got in the car and had a pretty well silent ride back home. Kat didn't have much she wanted to say in front of other people and Leon felt the same way. Kat didn't miss the arm Stacy had around her friend's shoulders, and Kat figured she wasn't going to be the one sharing her room with Nikki tonight. She sighed softly, she didn't intend for anyone to hear her. She was just feeling sorry for herself. It seemed like everyone had someone but her, and the guy she wanted was right there beside her, but he may as well have been half way around the world for the way it felt between them. She felt like the Grand Canyon was between them. It was like when they were alone things were back to the way they were before. But when others were around he acted different toward her and she didn't know what to do about it.  
  
She caught Leon looking at her out of the corner of her eye and she knew that he'd heard her sigh. She hoped he didn't ask questions. She figured she could escape into her house before he'd get a chance. She'd had a good time with him tonight and she'd rather hold onto those thoughts for the rest of the evening before they had a fight about where they were going again.  
  
Leon wondered why she sighed like she did. Why she was sad. He thought they'd had a nice time. Of course, he'd just showed up. It wasn't like he put a lot of effort into the whole evening. She'd planned a night out for her and her girl, and he'd just crashed it. He felt like they weren't even in the same car at all, like they weren't sitting side by side with only 6 inches between them. She was leaning on her door, away from him and he could sense she was drawn into her own mind, her own thoughts, and essentially she was elsewhere, not in the car with him.  
  
It didn't matter if she wasn't thinking of him, he was thinking of her. He wanted her. He always wanted her when she was within a hundred foot radius of his vision. He still had visions of them in the back seat of his car whenever he saw her. He just didn't know how to get back to where they'd been before. Just wanting her wasn't enough. Dom had been right all along, he couldn't just sleep with Kat. He had to be sure. He couldn't get past the anger. It returned whenever they were apart and even to some extent when they weren't alone. But he still liked her and still wanted her.  
  
He parked in Kat's driveway and she jumped out of the car to let her friend out of his back seat. He waited for her to hop back in so they could take off for a ride like they always did. She leaned into the car a bit.  
  
"Thanks for the ride Leon. See you around?" What could he say? It was clear she didn't want to be around him. He couldn't force her to come with him. But he'd wanted to talk to her. To make sure everything was ok. Even though he knew everything wasn't ok. But he just told her good night and watched her walk into her house before driving to his own.  
  
He parked the car and went into the house. Dom was sitting at the kitchen table.  
  
"What the hell are you doin' up Dawg?" Leon asked, he'd expected the whole house to be in bed by the time he got home.  
  
"Can't sleep." Dom growled and looked up.  
  
"Why not?" Leon asked.  
  
"Don't know. Just can't." Dom was in a very bad mood. He knew why he couldn't sleep but he didn't want to share it with Leon, or anyone. He wanted to mull it over in his own head first.  
  
"I see. Well, try warm milk or somethin'. I gotta go to bed myself before I fall asleep where I stand." Leon said and headed for the stairs.  
  
"Leon?" Dom started.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Just watch your back." Dom stated. Leon knew what he meant, even though he wished he didn't.  
  
"I will Dawg, try to go to bed man, it's after 3am." Leon said and continued down the stairs. Dom hoped Leon took his advice.  
  
*~*  
  
Kat and her friends walked into the house to find everyone was already in bed but them. She headed for the kitchen to get a drink of water and heard the TV turn on. She walked out of the kitchen into the living room when she'd had her drink and found Stacy and Nikki watching TV.  
  
"You stayin' up for awhile Kitty cat?" Nikki asked her.  
  
"Nope, I'm tired as hell for some reason." Kat sighed. "Goin' to bed. G'night."  
  
"Night." Nikki and Stacy answered in unison. Kat knew they wanted her to go to bed so they could go together. She just hoped that Stacy didn't hurt Nikki again, and that they had better luck with romance then she'd been having lately.  
  
She went to her room and decided she had to take a shower before she went to bed, she felt very sweaty and grimy. She took her shower and then went to bed, after peaking over the landing and seeing that the living room had been plunged into darkness while she showered, just as she had suspected, and that there was no sign of Nikki in her room. She shook her head, but smiled to herself and went to bed, where the melancholy mood got to her and she cried herself to sleep, again. 


	45. Wonder if Heaven Got a Ghetto

AN: *sing songs* Guess who's back? Back again Shady's back, tell a friend. Well, not shady but someone better. .Hehe. I expect lots of reviews for this people. *stamps foot* I worked really hard on this chapter and it's long. So I hope it's good. Therefore let me know either way. You don't want to create an angry tempest! It's not pretty. (by the way since pretty begging didn't work to convince people to review I'm trying mild threats, I hope it works. *crosses fingers* Soon I'll reach indifference but for now, I'm still a review slut. ;)) And here is the story.  
  
Chapter 45 - Wonder if Heaven got a ghetto?  
  
Kat woke up the next day no more sure of what she had to do about her life and relationship with Leon then she had been the night before. She felt angry and upset. She knew she could take the head off anyone who crossed her.  
  
She got up and dressed in short denim cutoffs, and a white singlet. She left the house with a terse 'later' for the guys and slid into the cockpit of the Skyline. She hit the freeway running and hit 150 within seconds of leaving the off ramp. She didn't even realize how fast she was going. All she was paying attention to was the other cars on the road with her.  
  
Each one was seen as an obstacle, just something in her way, something trying to slow her down, interfere with her speed, her rush, her drug. She was darting in and out between the other cars on the road like they were standing still. Most people she passed didn't even have time to do more then register that they'd been passed by a black car with round tail lights.  
  
Kat had her stereo cranked up so loud she couldn't even hear herself think, which was the point, and before she knew it, it was blasting out 'Shut up'. She caught herself singing along to the song as she darted in and out and shifted gears, her chrome rims spinning so fast they were nothing but a blur, her engine growling like the tiger that was painted on it's bonnet. She was driving on instinct alone and running on purest adrenaline.  
  
While she sang along she started to allow herself to think back over the time she'd known Leon.  
  
iWe try to take it slow but we're still loosing control and we tried to make it work but it still ends up the worst and I'm crazyyyyyy for tryin to be your lady. I think I'm goin crazy./i  
  
They'd never cared about slow at first, things had been moving incredibly fast and for the first time ever Kat hadn't cared that she hadn't been in complete control over an aspect of her life. Leon was the X factor. She couldn't control him at all, and rather then that fact making her look for ways she could, she just revelled in the out of controlness of the situation. Sean was right, her life was all about control. She'd lived a crazy life with no control for so long that it made her scared to live that way ever again.  
  
Then things got bad, and rather then give up they decided to try and take it slow. She'd tried to make it work but it really was looking like things were worse then ever at the point they'd reached. Kat felt like she was at some sort of crossroads. If a decision wasn't made, or something wasn't done she didn't know what would happen.  
  
iGirl me'n you was just fine, you know? We wined and dined, did them things that couples do when in love, you know? Walks on the beach and stuff you know?/i  
  
Before everything changed everything had been so good. Every time Kat had gone out with Leon it was almost like he'd given her back some of her normalcy. She'd been able to just be a girl. She hadn't had to be tough, or a leader. She'd just been able to be a girl. She was hardly ever able to just be a normal girl. She always had to be a leader for her team or tough, trying to keep her status. Her life was all about status, out of necessity. She'd had to be tough enough to keep her safe. Plus she'd never been able to trust men's motive for wanting to be with her. She'd known most of them were just trying to improve their own status and she wasn't willing to be that girl.  
  
She'd known that to Leon their relationship was just about them. He didn't need her status. Where he was from his team already had more. He didn't need her, he had lots of girls waiting for his attention. He'd just wanted her. That was the quintessential difference right there. So many of the guys who'd asked her out in the past needed her for what they though she could give them. Leon didn't need anything from her, he just wanted what she wanted to give because he was intrigued by her.  
  
iWe try to take it slow but we're still loosing control and we tried to make it work but it still ends up the worst and I'm crazyyyyyy for tryin to be your lady. I think I'm goin crazy./i  
  
It had seemed like he'd wanted to take things slow with her too, right from the start. It had been Kat that had wanted to jump in both feet first. But that was her modus operendi anyway. She always jumped into things as fast as she could and most things had a way of working out. She always landed on her feet. "Merow" she said out loud and giggled despite herself.  
  
She narrowly missed a transfer truck and swerved for a second before she recovered control. She wondered if she had 9 lives too as she fought to keep the car from spinning out. She fought down panic as she tried not to burn out on the busy, rushing freeway. She knew if she spun out she was as good as dead. She kept the car going in a mostly straight line by years of practise and innate skill only.  
  
Once she was back on top of the situation she tore away. Instead of slowing down to 'reasonable' speeds to try and avoid another such incident, she sped up to get away from the people who'd seen her loose control. She never lost control and it wouldn't do for anyone to know she had. The irate trucker honked as she sped away and became nothing but a black blur on the horizon of the road.  
  
iWhy does emotion gotta move so fast? Love is progress if you could make it last. Why is it that you just lose control, every time you agree on taking it slow?/i  
  
If she could answer that question life would be good.  
  
She hit the next button on her stereo violently. She didn't want to think about the lyrics of that song anymore. It hit too close to home. She was beginning to think she was crazy for trying to be with Leon. One thing that had become clear to her last night that no matter how cool he tried to convince her he was with what had gone down, no matter how willing to put it in the past he said he was, he wasn't and it showed.  
  
It showed when she let herself look for it.  
  
She didn't know how to move past it. She scanned over a few more songs, settling on some Ludacris track.  
  
Without realizing it she'd ended up at the beach Leon had taken to her before. She hoped the girl Leon had said owned it wouldn't mind if she went for a walk because she felt like a good sprint to try and figure shit out.  
  
Kat figured based on how Leon talked about that girl she was long gone and living somewhere else. Kat knew if she owned land like that of this beach she'd live there. But the land was barren except for a low building with a garage door on the front. It looked like it hadn't been used in some time. She parked the Skyline down the same road Leon had always used and got out.  
  
She stood at the waters edge looking out over the cerulean surface of the water toward the distant horizon. The water looked warm, inviting. She contemplated walking in and taking a swim. She told herself that she shouldn't because she'd have to drive home soaking wet. Either that or go skinny dipping and she wasn't about to strip off in broad daylight when she didn't know who was around to see her. She thought on it for another moment and realized that if she went into the water to swim and simply never came back out then she wouldn't have to worry about the upholstery of her Skyline.  
  
She imagined the water closing over her head, it's warmth would be comforting. She'd slowly run out of air and then she'd have to breath in but all that would be available to her would be water. She imagined that it would be like slowly going to sleep and never waking up again.  
  
She took a step into the water and when the coolness of it hit her toes through her open toed sandals it brought her back to reality with a snap. She was beyond the point in her life where the idea of ending her life had much appeal, no matter how bleak things were. She knew better. And it likely would never be as pleasant as she'd let her imagination lead her to believe.  
  
Besides, she was a strong swimmer and odds were she'd never let herself drown. She'd panic and swim to shore. She told herself she was being silly and rubbed the tears off her cheeks. She didn't know how they'd gotten there but she wasn't pleased about them none the less. She took off her sandals and tossed them up by the bank so she'd remember them on her way back.  
  
She started off down the beach at a brisk jog and before she knew it she was running so fast her hair was flying straight out behind her. She ran full out for about 10 minutes before she came up on another girl on the beach. She hadn't expected to meet anyone. She slowed down and found she was actually out of breath. She almost never managed to get out of breath from running. She'd been the lead in so many ballets that she had to have a lot of stamina and it carried over into other things she did like running. She noticed the other girl had seen her and was heading her way.  
  
"Hello." The girl called out. Kat looked her over. She was dark skinned, had long, curly, very dark red hair and the strangest eyes Kat had ever seen. They were some shade of purple.  
  
"Heya." Kat answered back. It was a little known fact that she was shy around new people. She wanted to just turn around and run the other way instead of talk to this strange girl. If Kat had had friends or other people she knew around it would have been fine but meeting new people one on one was hard for her.  
  
"How'd you get down here?" The girl asked.  
  
"I ran." Kat answered. She didn't know what the other girl meant. And while the girl didn't seem mean, she didn't seem overly happy to have company either.  
  
"I see that. I mean where'd you come from? This is a private beach."  
  
"Yeah. I know. A friend of mine use to take me here and I guess I just came here because I had some thinking to do." About him. She added in her head.  
  
"I see. Who's your friend? Cause this is my property, so I'd like to know who's bringing girls out here."  
  
"Shit. Sorry. From the way Leon talked I figured you didn't live in California anymore. If I'd known you were still around I wouldn't have come without him." Kat was embarrassed.  
  
"Leon? Leon use to bring you here? As in he brought you more then once?" The girl looked shocked.  
  
"Yeah. Why?" Kat looked puzzled.  
  
"Cause Leon never ever in all the time I knew him saw a girl more then once." The dark girl laughed, and then studied Kat intently. "I had a feeling you'd be blonde."  
  
Kat looked at the dark girl, puzzled by her statement.  
  
*~*  
  
The girl was even prettier then Nyssa had thought she would be. She had the blonde hair that Leon seemed to fall for, white blonde and incredibly long, a very tiny figure, almost coltish, she wasn't very tall, but with incredibly long legs, big green cat's eyes, tilted up at the outer corners just enough to give her an exotic look, darkly tanned California sun lover skin, and it seemed she was a mechanic of some sort because she had grease under her nails. Figured Leon would fall for a mechanical girl. Nyssa got vibes of fun loving, but also deep sadness from the girl. She didn't think that she could be much older then the tiny girl in front of her but she felt like she was years older, figured she was years older mentally. Despite her small stature the attitude pouring off the blonde girl made her seem larger then she really was.  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
"Name's Kat. How do you know Leon?" Kat asked. The girl knew Leon pretty well it seemed. Kat didn't have any idea what the girl could have meant about thinking she'd be blonde.  
  
"I'm Nyssa, Vince's ex."  
  
"You're the girl who dumped Vince?" Kat asked. She cocked her head to the side to study the other woman, pale brows knitted together in concentration. The girl was pretty. No wonder coyote missed her. Something occurred to Kat then. This was the girl who'd hurt Vince so bad he didn't even date anymore.  
  
Nyssa watched as the beautiful blonde's eyes narrowed into very feline slits. Her name suited her very well; the girl was so cat like it was uncanny. She'd run like a cat, very fast and graceful, she had the body of a feline, all supple muscle, lean sinue and barely concealed bones, and she acted like a feline too. Nyssa could almost hear Kat hissing out her anger. Something about finding out that she and Vince had been a couple obviously angered the other girl.  
  
"Is there a problem?" Nyssa asked, getting mad. Who made it this girl's business what had happened between her and Vince? Why did Kat care? Had Kat gone after Vince since Nyssa had been gone? That didn't make sense when Kat had said she'd been with Leon, but something about finding out that Nyssa was Vince's ex had clearly pissed Kat off.  
  
"Only that you're the idiot who dumped Vinnie." Kat practically hissed. Here was the girl who'd broken poor Vince's heart. Vince was very much looking like her hero after all the help he'd offered her and here was the girl who'd dumped him. Kat knew that Vince wanted another chance with this girl, but that didn't mean Kat had to like her right now.  
  
"Idiot? Why am I an idiot for that? You don't know what happened! You weren't there." Nyssa was both intrigued and pissed off that this girl had dared to presume that she was at fault for her break up with Vince. "And when did he start going by Vinnie?" Or rather when did Leon's girl become close enough to Vince to have nick names for him?  
  
"You're an idiot because you had a great guy like Vince and you dumped him and he doesn't go by Vinnie. I'm the only one who calls him that." Kat looked smug. "I can't believe you left Vince. You must be the stupidest person I've ever met. Just cause I wasn't there don't mean I don't know what happened." Kat was spoiling for a fight all of a sudden and she'd never been good at controlling her smart mouth. Kat's body coiled up to prepare for a battle.  
  
Nyssa let her down. She didn't move in for the first strike like Kat would have if someone had said the same things to her. She sat down gracefully in the sand and kept talking. She didn't start throwing punches.  
  
"What's so great about Vince? I can't believe you would leave Leon." Nyssa struck back verbally.  
  
"What's great about Vince? He's steady as a rock. He's loyal to a fault. He takes care of people who need it. He cares about people. He'd never hurt someone he loved. Not like Leon. Leon takes little setbacks and turns them into screaming matches. Leon left me because the going got a bit tough. Vince's down for the ride, no matter what. It's obvious. Leon and Vince can't be compared. Leon left me not the other way around." Kat looked down at Nyssa.  
  
Nyssa couldn't believe Kat would see Vince as a better catch then Leon. She decided to point out the reason why Vince was none of the things that Kat thought he was. Leon had never been anything but sweet to Nyssa. He'd even stuck his neck out for her with Vince and Dom on more then one occasion. Leon was too level headed to get into screaming matches. Unless of course his feelings for Kat had him thrown that far off.  
  
"Well, in case your darling Vinnie didn't tell you, I found him in bed with another girl. I've never seen Leon raise his voice let alone get involved in a screaming match." It still hurt to bring it back up.  
  
Kat couldn't believe even after all the time that had gone by the other girl still thought that Vince would have cheated on her with Letty. But the sadness on Nyssa's face was very real. Nyssa obviously believed she had caught Vince cheating on her.  
  
"Well, Leon screamed at me. He literally flipped out. And Vince told me 'bout what happened. He also told me the girl was Letty and you didn't even wait for him to explain. You just yelled at him about how could he do that to you and took off." Kat couldn't believe the other girl was keeping her cool.  
  
"I see. And finding Leon in bed with another girl wouldn't bother you." Nyssa knew that Kat was looking to fight but she wasn't that kind of person. She also didn't want to give the other girl the satisfaction. Kat answered her question as she joined her sitting in the sand.  
  
"Not if the girl was my best friend and I knew that V had been looking out for her since she was like 10. It's what Vince does. He looks out for people he thinks need him to fight their battles because they can't do it themselves. And I don't have the right to care who Leon takes to his bed. He never took me there and we're not even really still together." It felt good to get it off her chest. She should hate the girl in front of her but she didn't. Oh, she was mad at her for what'd she'd done to Vince but she knew instinctively that Nyssa was a good listener and wouldn't spill her secrets. She didn't know how she knew that but she did. She also didn't know how Nyssa had made her forget she wanted to kick the living shit out of someone.  
  
Nyssa cocked her head and looked at Kat speculatively. Nyssa very much wanted to know why it was that Kat and Leon were not together. Nyssa had seen Kat in Leon's future but she'd seen them as happily ever after, not getting broken up. She'd seen them on a roller coaster ride but not one that would see them broken up.  
  
Nyssa had always been able to see things or sense things. It wasn't something she thought about too much or shared with too many people. But it was as much a part of her as her curly hair and her love of speed. Sometimes she saw glimpses of the future. It was patchy and didn't always show her things she wanted to know. Some called it the gift of Cassandra's tears. It wasn't always a gift, but it had helped Nyssa in the past. It was also sometimes almost more of a burden then she could bear.  
  
She decided to see just what explanation Vince had given this girl for why they'd broken up. Kat seemed to have believed what ever it was whole heartedly.  
  
"What reason did he give you for what Letty was doing in his bed then?"  
  
"He told me that Letty and Dom had had a big fight. I'd believe it considering Letty almost fought me because she had some mistaken impression I wanted to go after Dom. As if. And Dom almost fought me too when we had an argument. I mean he almost hauled off and hit me that day. But anyway. So she'd fought with Dom and Vince says Dom didn't hit her. But Vince had a look on his face that made me wonder if he was covering for Dom. But Vince says while Dom didn't hit Letty he did throw her against a wall or something. So Letty ran out of the room. She ran right to the same person who'd had her back in her fights in high school and in all her other fights with Dom. Only this time had been different because Dom had never gotten really violent with her like that. Vince calmed her down and put her in his bed to sleep. Then he planned on going to talk or beat some sense into Dom but Letty wouldn't let him leave because she didn't want to be alone. He only planned on staying with her till she fell asleep but he fell asleep too. Then you walked in. And even though both of them had their clothes on and Letty was your best friend and Vince loved you, you accused him of cheating on you with Letty and took off on the whole team." Kat looked very sure of her story and Nyssa could tell she was not making it up.  
  
Kat watched as Nyssa's pretty eyes filled with tears and she started to sob. She looked really heart broken.  
  
"I really messed up."  
  
"Yeah, you did." Kat still wasn't in much of a charitable mood.  
  
Nyssa glared at her through the tears.  
  
"But if it makes you feel better Vince still loves you. Loves you so much in fact that he hasn't been with any other girls since you left."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Really." Kat answered with a smile. "You need to stop hiding from him and let the shit work out. Of course you owe him an apology. I bet that's a first. I'd bet he's done a lot of apologizing but I doubt you've ever had to apologize to him."  
  
"Yeah, it is the first time I've ever had to." Nyssa smiled back. She felt better already. "And now you need to tell me the whole story of why you and Leon aren't a couple."  
  
"It's a long story." Kat answered with a sigh.  
  
"I got time." Nyssa told Kat encouragingly. "I'm really good with secrets and as you know I got no call to judge anyone on anything at this point." Nyssa smiled.  
  
"Ok. Here goes." Kat told Nyssa the whole story. ".And he showed up at the club last night. But he didn't call or anything he just took a guess we'd be there. And I can just tell that something isn't right wit him. I mean, I guess we're not broken up again but it's only a matter of time. I know he hasn't let it go like he said he did and I can't go on like this. I'm going to have to end it. I don't want to because I want to be with Leon. But he only acts like he wants to be with me some of the time. I can't explain it any better then that. I'm so upset. It's tearing me up inside, and I can't take it anymore. I guess when people say I don't cope with shit well they're right after all. I just can't handle much more. Moving into a better neighbourhood was supposed to make my life easier instead I met Leon and my life's been nothing but more complicated ever since. I just can't do it anymore. It's gotten too bad. I thought about.Well, doing something stupid when I first got here." Kat blew some wisps of hair off her forehead.  
  
"What's that?" Nyssa asked.  
  
"Well, let's just say, I wonder if Heaven got a ghetto. Cause that's the neighbourhood I belong in, and well, if you know what I mean." Kat stuttered and obviously didn't want to come right out and tell the other girl what she was talking about. She avoided Nyssa's gaze by looking out over the blue water.  
  
"I don't know what to tell you." Nyssa breathed out. It was a story that read like one of the soap opera's she'd gotten Leon addicted to. Kat had thought about ending her life over the whole situation? That's all she could have meant by wondering if heaven had a ghetto. She studied Kat in profile for a few seconds, noting the weariness on the slightly younger woman's face. "Maybe you need to just give him more time to come around, keep taking it slow."  
  
"Maybe. But it's hard. I just still really really know I want to be with him but I don't think he feels the same way." Kat started to cry. She hung her head, hair hanging over her conflicted face. "I'm so confused. I'm just as confused now as I was before."  
  
"You've forgiven him totally? For what he did and said that day? You're not giving him angry vibes or something and not picking up on them are you?"  
  
"I don't think so. I've forgiven him." Kat looked within her heart and found it was true. She had forgiven Leon for what he'd done to her. But she didn't think Leon would honestly be able to look inside himself and answer he'd forgiven her. Kat didn't think he had and she was losing hope that he ever would.  
  
"My only advice is to try and give him some more time to come around." Nyssa told the distraught girl in front of her. She wished she had a better answer for Kat but she didn't. She wished she knew what to say to someone who'd just admitted they'd thought of ending the spark of their life.  
  
"Ok. I'll try. But only if you promise to go see Vinnie and put him out of his misery. He's so hurt that you didn't even trust him and he thinks you didn't even love him enough to ask him exactly what happened. That you thought so little of him you found it easy to believe he'd sleep with his best friend's girl who happened to be his girl's best friend." Kat found herself laughing. "And yes I know that makes little to no sense but I think you get it anyway."  
  
Nyssa laughed back.  
  
"I get it and I promise to give Vince a call so that we can meet on neutral ground and try to work it out. To be honest with you I've been missing him so much that I was almost to the point of forgiving him for what I'd thought he'd done and trying to get back with him anyway."  
  
"Good. I really should go." Kat said with a glance at her watch. "My guys have no idea where I am."  
  
"Guys?" Nyssa asked.  
  
"Another long story." Kat giggled.  
  
"I'll walk you to your car and you can tell me on the way." Nyssa stood up gracefully from the sand. The two girls walked off together and Kat told her all about her headlong flight across country and meeting her guys. She finished just as they were about to turn up the road the car was on.  
  
"That's unreal." Nyssa told Kat after the story. Kat stopped and grabbed her flip flops off the edge of the sand and looked up at Nyssa.  
  
"It's my life." Kat answered like she figured everyone had led a life like her. Kat's black beauty came into view.  
  
"That's your car?" Nyssa asked, in shock.  
  
"Yeah, it's my baby."  
  
"I have one too." Nyssa was shocked to find another R34 had found it's way into the Toretto circle, no matter how unwelcome.  
  
"No way!" Kat answered her.  
  
"Yeah. My brother left it to me when he died. What year is yours?"  
  
"It's a 99."  
  
"Mine too!"  
  
"What model is yours?" Kat asked.  
  
"GT-R V-Spec. What's yours?"  
  
"GT-R V-Spec II Nismo."  
  
"Man. That has to be one of the rarest Skylines around. I bet it pisses Leon off to no end that you have a better Skyline then him."  
  
"I don't think me having it was a problem but me beating him in a street race definitely was."  
  
"You beat Leon in a street race?" Nyssa was in shock.  
  
"I had no choice. They set up some Skyline race between Me, Leon and some kid. I couldn't back out. Racing's my life. I'd never have been taken seriously again."  
  
"You race Dom yet?" Nyssa looked at Kat out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"Nope, but I will. Someday soon too. I have to beat him. I just have to." Too much was riding on that race for Kat not to win it. She wouldn't allow herself to loose to Dom.  
  
"You'd be the first in a long time. No one ever talks about a race he didn't win. He was so.I don't even know.So Dom that I just assumed he'd never lost."  
  
"I know. I'm scared as hell I can't beat him. He's the great Dom Toretto. But I have to try and honestly I'll either beat him or die trying. I need to be the best in LA."  
  
Nyssa nodded like she understood. Kat got in her car.  
  
"Nice to meet you. I'm glad you and I talked and you didn't hold my being an idiot against me." Nyssa giggled.  
  
"I'm so sorry I called you that." Kat blushed.  
  
"Don't be. I was. I'll definitely see you around if you live across the street from the team."  
  
"See you around then." With that Kat started her car and left, feeling good about the fact that at least Vince should be able to get back with his girl. The Kat realized that she hadn't told Nyssa about her 'close call' with Vince. She figured maybe that was for the best.  
  
Nyssa stood watching the other Skyline drive off till she couldn't see it anymore. She had a lot of explaining to do and a lot of work to do if she was going to be able to see this thing with Kat and Leon put right. Finding out about Kat and her guys had at least made Kat's comment about belonging in the ghetto make sense. She walked off to her car and drove toward Echo Park. She figured she'd call Vince on her cell and make plans to meet him somewhere they could talk. 


	46. Coming Home

*sobbing softly* No one loves me. Well almost no one. Here I am, writing out dramatic action plot and now no one likes the story any more. *Sob* Thanks to Penning Fantasy Knight twistedwords2003 vandanell cruel- capricorn BookWorm1990 for being the points of light in this bleak time when the fan fiction community seems to have abandoned me to write alone, in the dark, by myself. LOL, dramatic enough for you?  
  
Chapter 46 – Coming Home  
  
Kat drove home. She went in her house and sat down. She was lost in thought, staring into space. She didn't know what she was going to do about the whole Leon situation yet. She knew she'd told Nyssa she'd give it more time but she honestly didn't know how much more time she could give it before Leon would either have to come around or his attitude would drive Kat crazy. She couldn't put her finger on what it was that bothered her about how Leon was acting. He hadn't been rude or mean to her since they'd gotten back together but it was like he was distant to her when ever other people were around. He was fine when they were alone but not when anyone else might be watching.  
  
It really made her think about how he might think about her or act about her when she wasn't around at all. She was no closer to figuring anything out when a large hand waived in front of her face.  
  
"Yo, Kat. You in there?" Stacy asked her.  
  
"Huh? Sorry Stace, I was thinking 'bout something. What's up?" Kat came back to reality with a crash.  
  
"You got a phone call. It's like the tenth time today the buster's called for ya." Stacy said in a voice low enough that the man on the other end of the phone wouldn't hear, but his frustration was evident. "Does this punk think he owns you or something? He acts like he should know where you are and he seemed pissed when I told him I didn't know."  
  
"I don't know what would be up with him. But I'll talk to him and see what he says." Kat took the phone and put it to her ear. "What up?" She opened. No one would be called buster but Leon. Stacy still hadn't stopped being mad at Leon for what he'd done, no matter how good he was at acting like he had, and no matter how much he really thought that Kat and Leon had to work their issues out.  
  
"Hi. How are you?" Leon asked.  
  
"I'm ok." Kat answered and blew hair off her face. She knew she sounded fed up with Leon but she couldn't help it. She was still trying to figure him out and she hadn't really been in the mood to talk on the phone. "How're you?" She asked, trying to be polite.  
  
"I'm ok too. Where you been?" Leon wondered what had kept her out for the last three hours.  
  
"Just out for a drive. I had some thinking to do and I always think better when I go for a drive." Kat answered honestly. It did irritate her slightly how pushy and controlling Leon's question sounded.  
  
"Me too. Have any plans tonight?" Leon hoped to take her to a movie or something before races.  
  
"Just races." Kat answered, wondering where if anywhere his questions were going.  
  
"Wanna get something to eat and maybe see a movie before them then?" Leon asked and if Kat wasn't mistaken he sounded almost shy about asking her.  
  
She decided to go ahead and go with him. After all she had told Nyssa she'd give him another chance to come around. Kat figured that if Leon was going to get around to putting the past behind him they had to create a future.  
  
"Sure. You wanna come get me or meet me somewhere? Or take my car if you want." Kat asked, trying to sound enthusiastic, and doing a fairly good job she thought.  
  
"I'll come get you if that's ok." Leon thought she sounded excited about going out with him and he was happy. He thought if he just saw Kat more, got to know her again, that everything would be fine and it would all go back to how it was before he realized what she'd done.  
  
"That's fine. What time around?" Kat asked and started to plan an outfit she could wear out to dinner and a movie and races.  
  
"Say, 6?"  
  
"That's fine." Kat answered. "See you then." It gave her about an hour to get ready.  
  
"Yeah, see you." Leon hung up and went to get ready himself.  
  
*~*  
  
"Hello?" The Toretto household phone was answered by Mia.  
  
"Heya Mi." Nyssa answered. She'd chickened out and called the house line, hoping against hope that anyone but Vince would answer.  
  
"Nyssa? Is that you?" Mia asked.  
  
"Yeah. It's me." Nyssa answered. She felt like such an Idiot. "Who all's home Mi?"  
  
"Just me'n Leon. Why?"  
  
"I need'ta talk to you girl. Can we meet somewhere?" Nyssa suddenly wanted to see what Mia thought before she went to talk to Vince. She had to be prepared if Vince didn't want to have anything to do with her.  
  
"Why don't you just come here?"  
  
"When're you expecting the rest of the team home?" Nyssa asked.  
  
"Not for a while at least."  
  
"I'm just not ready to see them yet Mi." She knew Mia would know she meant not ready to see Vince.  
  
"Vince'll be gone for at least an hour." Just like Nyssa had figured Mia saw right through her.  
  
"Ok, I'm out front then." Nyssa said as she got out of her car and headed up the walk. Mia hung up and threw the door open. Mia had her in a bear hug the second her foot hit the landing of the front steps.  
  
"Nyssa. I can't believe I haven't seen you in months." Mia took one look at Nyssa's face and hauled her closer again then led her into the house. "Come here." Nyssa started to cry softly again.  
  
"MIIIIIAAAAA, I've been such an idiot." Nyssa started to sob in the foyer of the house.  
  
"There's a lot of that going around here lately." Leon added as he walked into the room and grabbed Nyssa in his own tight hug, taking her trembling form away from Mia as Nyssa latched onto his neck. "We missed you baby girl." He said into her hair. Nyssa always knew how to put him right. She'd been there for him when they didn't know if Jesse'd ever wake up, she'd been there for the team all along. Leon figured it was now time for him to be there for Nyssa.  
  
"I missed you all too. But I don't know what to do now. I've been such a total moron and I don't know how to make it better." Nyssa said in a shaky voice. They migrated toward the living room and sat together on the couch.  
  
"Do you forgive him Nys?" Mia asked.  
  
"Nope." Nyssa answered and they looked shocked. Leon went to open his mouth. "Because it took a third party who listens with her heart not her head to show me that there was never anything to forgive him for, that I'm the one that better be begging for forgiveness. I wish I had her outlook on life instead of my own." She told them. Leon looked puzzled and then like he had a million questions to ask Nyssa and Mia looked like she approved of Nyssa's revelation. "But I'm terrified that he won't forgive me for what I did, for what I said. And terrified that Letty'll feel the same way." Nyssa sniffled.  
  
"Who convinced you to come home?" Mia asked. Nyssa glanced at Leon out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"Just someone who knows Vince. Better then I do it seems." But Mia was right, it was home. Nothing had felt like home till she'd walked in the front door of the house the team lived in. Nothing had been home since she'd left the team. She'd been living in houses, it was time to come home.  
  
"What did she tell you?" Leon asked.  
  
"Just that V was just taken care of Letty. Same as he always did and always will. Same as he would have if it had been you, or me, or some girl from school if he thought she needed him to fight for her in some battle she couldn't fight herself. And that since I love him, I should have been more willing to listen to him, to wait for him to explain himself. And really she's right. I shouldn't have believed what I did no matter what."  
  
"Well, that's something at least." Mia said with a smile. "Just tell him what you just told us and it'll all work out. I mean, he might take a while to come around but he will."  
  
"Yeah baby girl, he still loves you. He'll take a while to get over this but he will. Just wait and see." Leon grinned and then hugged Nyssa again. "I can't believe you stayed away so long baby girl. I guess you never saw that coming huh?"  
  
Nyssa giggled.  
  
"No. But I didn't see you screwing up your life so bad either." Her smile changed to a frown. "Wanna tell me what happened there?"  
  
Leon didn't even bother asking her what she was talking about or how she knew. Nyssa just knew. There was no better explanation for it then that.  
  
"I did mess up. But I finally found a girl that makes me feel. I guess that has to be a good thing right? I mean, she makes me mad, happy, sad, and every other emotion in between all at once." Leon tried to laugh. "And I'm trying to fix things."  
  
"Are you really Leon? Are you sure about that?" Nyssa gave him one of the looks he hated. The look that let him know she knew more then she was letting on to and more then she should. More then he had admitted to himself or to the world yet.  
  
"I'm trying. I don't know how good I'm doing but I'm trying." Mia looked on, trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
"Try harder babe. Try harder. This is worth fighting for. That's all I have to say." Nyssa slipped into her pet name for every guy on the team. Well, every guy but Dom. Leon looked at her in deep thought for a moment then got up and excused himself.  
  
"So you back to stay?" Mia asked Nyssa hopefully.  
  
"If he'll have me." Nyssa answered and Mia squealed and hugged her friend. Mia was sure Vince would want his girl back. "Don't get too happy yet Mi. You never know with V." Mia just gave her that secret smile she did so well.  
  
"So where you been keeping yourself?" Mia moved into safer topics. Just as Nyssa went to answer the front door burst open and Dom and Vince walked in, joking about something and clearly having a great boys day. Vince's gaze focused on the beautiful Latin girl on his couch, her long cherry hair hanging around her and he stopped short. Dom ran into his back, but even Dom's weight couldn't move a planted Vince.  
  
"Holy shit." Dom breathed out as he saw who was on the couch with his sister. He was so thrilled to see that Nyssa wasn't dead he couldn't even be mad at her for taking off or for screwing poor Vince up the way she had. "Baby girl!" He called as he walked into the living room. Ever since Nyssa had come up with the plan that Brian had used to keep them out of jail he'd seen her just like his little sister.  
  
"Hi Dom." She answered softly and allowed him to hug her. She tried to smile at him. Dom had taken over the roll in her life the death of her brother had left open. She had come to love him over the course of their time together. Even if at first she'd found him scary.  
  
"Where you been baby girl?" Dom asked.  
  
"Here and there." She answered with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Dom realized that Vince had yet to move. Dom turned to Mia. "We should go and a....Look at that....um...supper. We need to start supper." Dom finally got out a reason to leave Nyssa and Vince alone.  
  
"Yeah, good idea Dom." Mia answered as she stood up. "It'll be ok Nys." Mia whispered to her friend as she stood up and hugged her for good luck. Mia and Dom left the room for the kitchen and Leon headed out the door to go get his car ready to pick up Kat.  
  
"Hey V." Nyssa started. She watched as Vince shook his head and walked closer to her.  
  
"Where you been?" He started gruffly, not sure what her presence meant to him and his life. Not sure how he should feel. What he should do. He had no frame of reference. Nyssa had been his first truly serious girlfriend and the first girl who'd ever left him. His first real love. What she'd done, what she'd believed still stung him. Stung his heart and stung his pride. He waited for her to answer.  
  
"Around. Drifting. Being miserable on my own." Nyssa answered, looking at her feet. "Being alone and stupid on my own." Vince did a double take.  
  
"You ok?" Vince was confused. She wasn't making much sense to Vince and Nyssa always made sense. He thought that was part of the reason that Kat had looked good to him for awhile. Because nothing about Kat made sense. She was the opposite of Nyssa in almost every way. Coloring, attitude, outlook. Nyssa thought everything through, she was methodical. Kat didn't think much through. If ever there was a girl that exemplified the fly by the seat of your pants attitude it was Kat. Nyssa was calm most of the time, except when she thought she caught him cheating. Kat was a fireball under even the tamest circumstances. Vince was really glad that Leon had Kat to deal with, not him, but for a while there he'd thought that the opposite of Nyssa was what he needed. He knew he'd just been trying to put Nyssa out of his head. And now that she was in front of him he knew just how badly he'd failed.  
  
"No, I'm not ok Vince. I'm not ok at all." Nyssa stood up and started to trace the scar marring her otherwise flawless skin on her stomach as she paced. Vince remembered why that scar was there and winced minutely.  
  
"Well, what's wrong?" Vince wasn't going to make it easy on her. No matter how much he wanted her back.  
  
"I'm a total idiot is what's wrong." And that was when she lost her composure and broke down into racking sobs. "And I..I d..d..ont...deserve i...i...it but...t...t I h..h....hope you can forgive me." She stuttered out around the sobs. She covered her face with her hands as she sobbed.  
  
He'd planned on making her try harder then that for his forgiveness but he couldn't stand to see her cry. Besides that she'd taken less from him in apology before. He went up to her and took her against his chest. "It's ok baby girl. It'll be ok. I forgive you." She looked up at him and he saw all the hurt and sorrow for what she'd done to him, to them, in her pretty violet eyes. He hated it when she was sad because the color of her eyes when she was sad always made him think of bruises.  
  
"You forgive me? That easy?" She stuttered out.  
  
"I'd like to know what brought about this change of heart. And I guess I'm still sort of hurt you thought what you did. But we can get past it now that you're home."  
  
"Home." She breathed out and a look of utter and complete happiness came over her face. "I'm home." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm home. I'm home. I'm home." She said, look of wonder on her face. It was almost like she wanted to convince herself of the fact. The look on her face was so priceless that Vince found himself laughing as he spun her around.  
  
"Yeah, you're home." And then he kissed his girl. And nothing had felt so right in a long time. He hadn't lied to her. She had some serious explaining to do about why she'd thought what she had and what brought her around. But he could forgive her almost anything when he'd missed her so much and she was so obviously sincerely sorry.  
  
He was worried Letty would be another story. 


	47. Almost Doesn't Count

AN: I'm sooooo sorry. You'll know why shortly. But I promise it'll all work out some day. Just not right now. As always, review. And please don't kill me too much for what you're about to read. Remember I love you all! Oh, and the title of the chapter is from "Almost Doesn't Count" By Brandy and it's kinda relevant. *holds hands up in supplication as she backs slowly away from FanFiction.net*  
  
Chapter 47 – Almost doesn't count  
  
Leon was pacing around in his room, Nyssa's words circling his head. "Try harder babe. Try harder. This is worth fighting for."  
  
He had been trying. He'd tried hard. But not hard enough and he knew it. But he didn't know how else to try. He still hoped in time things would go back to normal. But he didn't know if they could. But it was coming up to 6 and he didn't want to be late for picking up Kat. He had a funny feeling who the girl who'd made Nyssa come home was and he wanted to talk to a certain blonde about where she'd been when she'd been out of her house all afternoon.  
  
*~*  
  
Kat got dressed and waited for Leon to show up to get her. She was nervous. She wanted to give another chance to Leon and really try to have things be good but she just didn't really see it happening. Something was on Leon's mind, was bothering him, and if he didn't want to talk about what it was then Kat didn't know what else she could do. She was pacing her living room when she saw him back his car out of his driveway and then drive into hers.  
  
"I'm goin out guys. See you around 11 or so and we'll head down. Aiight?"  
  
"See you girl." She heard Kale call back. She headed out the door, happy that someone knew where she was. She momentarily hoped that Sean would check over her car for her since she wouldn't have time to do it herself, but if she didn't have time then it wouldn't get checked she figured. The car had been garaged almost all week anyway so she figured it would be fine if it didn't get checked. She walked up to Leon's car and got in.  
  
"Hey." She said to Leon with a small smile and started to do up her harness.  
  
"Hey. How're you?" Leon asked, watching her for any sign of nervousness. He figured if she'd run into Nyssa and told her stuff, Kat would be feeling guilty.  
  
"I'm good. I feel like I wasted the day doin nothin but other then that I'm good. How're you?"  
  
"I'm good. Vince's girl came home today." Leon started, wondering how Kat would react if she'd had a hand in Nyssa's sudden arrival back with the team.  
  
"Really? That's great." Kat smiled in genuine happiness for Vince. He'd missed his girl so much; Kat knew he'd be thrilled to have her home. Kat hadn't expected Nyssa to work so fast. Kat wondered if Nyssa had told Leon why she came home. She figured not since he as acting like she shouldn't know anything about it.  
  
"It is great. I really missed her. She's such a nice girl. I know Vince missed her a lot too. He was always all miserable'n shit without her." Leon watched the road a little too carefully.  
  
Kat could tell he was trying to act innocent when he was not. It was likely he was trying to lead her into telling him that she'd spoken to Nyssa. Kat figured that he didn't know who Nyssa had spoken to and he was trying to find out. He must have his suspicions it was her. She decided not to tell him and to try and throw him off. She didn't know why but his dancing around the issue instead of just asking her if she'd spoken to Nyssa pissed her off.  
  
"Maybe Vinnie'll introduce me to her tonight if they go to races then. I've heard so much about her from Vince and you that I can't wait to see if she lives up to all the hype you guys have built about her." Kat said, purposefully using her pet name for Vince. It pissed her off that she and Leon were on a date and here he was talking about how much he'd liked Nyssa, how nice she was, how much he'd missed the other girl.  
  
That and trying to trick her into telling him it was her that Nyssa had spoken to.  
  
Leon couldn't detect any guilt or worry in her tone. Maybe he was off base when he'd thought that Kat must have been the one to talk Nyssa into coming home. He decided to be less subtle. "She said she was talking to some girl who knew Vince real well and I figured it must have been you."  
  
"Nope. It wasn't me." Kat lied so smoothly she almost surprised herself.  
  
"Really? I don't know who else it would have been then. It's pretty strange."  
  
"Why is it important to you Leon? I mean I'm not sayin it was me but why do you care so much? She's home. Why does it matter why she came back?"  
  
"It doesn't. I was just curious. More because who ever convinced her to come back deserves a big thank you from the rest of my team and from Vince."  
  
"Yeah, and if Nyssa tells Vince why she came back then Vince can thank the person. Did you ask me out to interrogate me about Vince's girlfriend?" Kat was getting a bit fed up with Leon's obsession with something that was essentially none of his business.  
  
"No. It was just something interesting that happened today." Leon answered her back in a sharper tone then he would have liked to have used.  
  
"Then why not just tell me about it? Why did it have to be like some sort of accusation? Jesus. So what if I did run into her and talk to her. What's it to you? And if I didn't see her and I told you I didn't would you believe me?" Kat asked with a very angry look on her face. It didn't improve when Leon hesitated to answer her. "So I guess that's my answer huh? No matter what it's over or what I tell you, you still have to ask yourself if I'm telling you the truth or not. I could tell you I saw her and we talked or I could tell you I never saw the girl before in my life and you'd have to wonder if I was lying to you or not in either case." Kat sat back in her seat with a huff. She was incredibly angry and upset.  
  
"That's not true. It was just the way Nyssa looked at me and the way she talked about the girl she met. It was like she knew you. I just figured based on some stuff she said to me this afternoon that you must have been the girl she met." Leon really wanted to know if Kat had told Nyssa all about their troubles and what he'd said to Kat when they'd broken up.  
  
"Yeah, but I told you back when you first picked me up that I hoped V would introduce me to her soon. I doubt very much I'd require an intro if I'd met the girl already." Kat felt mildly bad about lying to Leon but it was mostly eclipsed by the fact he'd basically called her a liar and the fact that he had no trust for her at all. They pulled into the local diner and Kat was out of the car as soon as it stopped moving. She didn't know if she was going to be able to be around Leon long enough to eat and see a movie. She felt she had a lot to think about and she didn't know if she could do it with him around. Plus she was just so mad.  
  
She didn't wait for Leon to exit his car she just headed for the door.  
  
"Hey Kat, wait up." Leon called after her. She stopped and turned around to wait for him with a frown. "I wasn't trying to be rude." He tried to diffuse the situation.  
  
"No, you were trying to call me a liar. Mission accomplished." Kat snapped back.  
  
"I wasn't trying to call you a liar either. I was just trying to figure out who she was talking to. If it wasn't you then I don't know who it would be. I was really hoping that who ever it was has the good sense not to tell her about the night that you and Vince almost became more then friends." Leon looked irate when he brought up the night that Kat and Vince had disappeared together.  
  
"Well, unless you or Vince have been telling people about that no one else knows." Kat retorted with a hiss. They were still standing out front of the restaurant. Kat had foolishly believed Leon when he'd told her he was over that incident. It seemed that he'd lied to her about that and he was no where near over it.  
  
"No one knows? Just the 100 or so people that were at my house that night Kat. Shit, you think they were all blind?" Leon drawled out sarcastically.  
  
"They didn't see anything happen that wouldn't happen at any club in the city and I did nothing to be ashamed of." Kat almost yelled back at Leon. She was sick of being made to feel guilty over things that she'd said sorry for what felt like a hundred times over and that she'd been told she was forgiven for as well. Plus while she felt mildly bad about how far things had gone she really didn't think she'd done anything that she needed to beg a thousand pardons for either.  
  
"You almost had sex with my best friend right after we split up and you did nothing to be ashamed of?" Leon raised his voice as he asked.  
  
"So, the truth comes out. You think I should fall on my knees and beg your forgiveness for that and everything else again don't you?"  
  
Leon had a look of righteous anger on his face. Kat was about to disabuse him of the notion he had anything to feel righteous over. She'd taken all she could take and apologized way too many times to do it even one more time. She continued in a sarcastic vein.  
  
"Well guess what? We were broken up by that night and you were the one who left me. Vince was single. I didn't do anything wrong and you were the one who decided you wanted to try again. I'd have to wonder why when you obviously think I'm some sort of lying slut." Kat screamed and turned. She then started to stalk off down the street, hair swinging from side to side with her violent gait.  
  
Leon sighed. This wasn't where he'd seen the evening going. He'd meant what he'd told Nyssa. He'd planned on working harder at making up with Kat, with pushing the lingering feelings of anger and resentment aside. But yet there he was fighting with her in public. It made it worse to realize she was at least partially correct. He did watch her for signs of lying and he hadn't really gotten over the fact she'd almost slept with Vince. He couldn't just let her walk away.  
  
"Kat wait." He ran after her. She kept walking. He ran up behind her and asked again. "Wait, please." She stopped walking. He touched her shoulder and she shrugged him off.  
  
"I deserved that Kat. I didn't come out with you to fight. I'm sorry I messed up. I didn't mean to make you feel any of the ways you told me that I make you feel and I'm sorry." She didn't turn to look at him. "I guess we do have some issues to work out."  
  
"Yeah, and while you do I don't think it's a good idea for us to see each other anymore." Kat said and sniffled, looking at her feet.  
  
"So you're breaking up with me?" Leon asked, incredulous.  
  
Kat thought he sounded incredulous, like he couldn't believe she'd do such a thing.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I am. I really can't take it anymore Leon and it's not fair for you to ask me to. You obviously still hate me for what I did and no matter how hard you try to make it seem like you don't so that you can get in my pants I can still tell you're mad at me three quarters of the time and the other quarter you're just scheming on how you can get me in bed." Kat had finally put her finger on what had been bothering her about Leon and that was it. She'd been picking up on his anger. She could tell he was still angry about everything and he couldn't move past it. Kat couldn't pretend not to know any longer. She'd been lying to herself about it too, and it had to stop.  
  
Leon was slightly floored that she'd realized that he was mad at her over everything by times. He'd thought that he'd done a good job of hiding it.  
  
"I don't hate you Kat. Sometimes I still feel a bit mad about things is all. We can work through it. We don't need to break up. We can just try to take things slow. I'm not just trying to get you into bed. If I was I would've done something about it long ago, back before I figured everything out."  
  
"We tried to take it slow and it still spiralled out of control Leon. We tried to make things work but it just got worse. I don't know what else to tell you. I don't think we have issues to work through I think you do and if I try to stick around and wait while you work them out it's just going to drive me crazy. You need to figure out what you really want and what's realistic for you to have. If I fit into your life when you have that figured out let me know. Till then I think we need to go separate ways."  
  
"What do you mean what I want and what's realistic for me to have?"  
  
"I mean do you want us to be together or did you just get back with me because you figured you were close to getting me in bed and you wanted another chance to finish what you started? One is realistic and could have happened. The other is never going to happen. That's what I mean. You can have me in your life but only when you're ready to show me that you're really over everything and you really want a relationship with me, not that you see me as the one who got away."  
  
"That was never part of it Kat. I guess I was just madder about what happened then I let myself admit to. I mean it when I say I never just wanted to get you into bed. I've just gotten girls into bed before and I mean it when I tell you if that was what I wanted it would have happened already." Leon was getting mad that she was thinking that he was only trying to take her to bed when he'd taken things slow with her to the best of his ability.  
  
"You can be mad all you want Leon. You just can't be mad about it all and still have me in your life. I can't do it. If you ever think you're really ready to try again then you know where I live. Oh, and no matter what you did if I hadn't really cared about you, you never would have gotten me into your bed. I'm not that kind of girl and I never will be." With that said, and a dismissive hand gesture, Kat spun on her heel and started to walk away, tears in her eyes that Leon thought he could have used her if he'd wanted to.  
  
"Where are you going?" Leon asked her, jogging along behind her.  
  
"Home."  
  
"I'll take you home, you don't have to walk."  
  
"I'd rather walk. Thanks for the offer though."  
  
"Kat, you're like a 45 minute walk from home." It hurt Leon to realize that Kat would rather walk home alone then suffer his presence for 15 minutes in the car.  
  
"I know. I want the time and the space alone to think." She shot him a pointed look that while he was walking with her she was not alone.  
  
"Let me take you home. I don't want to think of you walking along these streets on your own."  
  
"I'll be fine Leon. I've been taking care of myself for a long time and I imagine I'll be taking care of myself for a long time to come. I handled walking around NYC on my own, I can handle walking home here. I'll see you around." It was clear to Leon she'd dismissed him and his company was neither needed nor wanted any further.  
  
"Yeah, ok then. See you around." Leon stopped following her and watched her walk away. He wanted her even still as he watched her hips sway with her natural grace as she walked. He couldn't help it. She was right though. He both wanted her and was mad at her. But he didn't just see her as the one who got away. He needed her in his life but he didn't know where to take things from where they were. He got into his car and drove home slowly, watching Kat walk home from a distance so that he could keep an eye on her and keep her safe but still let her think she was doing her own thing. She talked to herself and made angry hand motions the whole way back. He chuckled despite himself as he thought that no one would mess with her anyway because she looked crazed and ready to murder.  
  
After he watched her walk into her house he went into his own.  
  
It was clear that he'd said the wrong thing when he'd told her he figured he could have had her in bed long ago if it was really his goal. She hadn't taken it as a compliment, like he was trying to let things move at a natural pace. She'd taken it like he was calling her a slut who would have been easy for him if he'd turned on the charm. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He didn't know how to go on from where he found himself. 


	48. I can't do it anymore

Chapter 48 – Giving up.  
  
Kat walked in her front door and into the kitchen to get a drink. She was running on auto pilot and her body was simply telling her after that long walk in the hot sun she needed water. She took a glass and filled it with water and started to drink.  
  
She paused half way through her water and it was like everything hit her in a wave. The glass slipped out of her hand and hit the floor where it shattered into a thousand pieces and sent water cascading everywhere as she started to sob. The noise brought Stacy running, thinking that someone was destroying the place. Instead he found Kat, looking at the mess she had just made with tears in her eyes. And a slightly crazed look as well. She was shaking slightly. She looked up when she heard Stacy at the door of the room.  
  
"Kitten, what's wrong?"  
  
"I...I...I..." She couldn't get the words out. One tear slowly left her eye and made its way down her cheek. She looked blankly out at Stacy, like she wasn't really sure where she was or what she was doing there. Stacy tried to get more info out of her, anything that would help him understand what was wrong with his Kitten.  
  
"You what baby girl?"  
  
"I broke up with Leon." She sobbed out.  
  
"Why?" Stacy asked in shock as he skirted the water puddle and broken glass and pulled Kat's small form to his chest.  
  
"Cause he still hates me for what I did and I can't pretend not to know, pretend it doesn't bother me any more. I've said I was sorry so many times and I just don't know what he wants from me! It's hard enough for me to say it once or twice, I can't keep on forever feeling like I'm always on trial for something I did and owned up to already."  
  
"I thought he wanted to try again. I thought it was his idea."  
  
"It was but I don't know what he was thinking when it's obvious he still doesn't trust me at all and I'd say he's still mad at me most of the time. I'm so confused. Maybe I did the wrong thing. Maybe I should have given it more time to work out. But it hurts so much to be treated like a liar every second of every minute you're with someone." Kat wailed.  
  
Stacy shook his head.  
  
"I told him that if he ever made you cry again I was going to kill him and I meant it." Stacy growled and released Kat on his way to leave the kitchen and head across the street to follow through on his promise.  
  
"No Stacy. Let it go. I want him out of my life and if you go fight him it just brings him and his team back in." Kat implored her friend.  
  
"Kitten, I can't...I can't just let this go. Look at yourself! This guy hurt you again! He can't just get away with it. I can't let him."  
  
"Stacy! I said no. Let it drop. It's my life. Let me live it for a change why don't you and take my word for it that I don't want you to go beat Leon over this. It's time we all grew up and grown ups don't have fist fights over everything that goes wrong." Kat screamed.  
  
Much as the little girl in her wanted to go see her hot-headed protector go try to beat some sense into Leon the newer part of her that had finally grown up some knew it wasn't the way to go.  
  
"Fine." Stacy sighed. Fighting was all he knew. He was Kat's family. And family took care of family. He'd do what she asked though. But he wasn't happy about it. "Come on. Let's go sit down."  
  
"I need to clean this mess up." Kat answered.  
  
"The mess will keep for awhile." Stacy tried again to get her to go with him.  
  
"I'm fine now Stacy. I'm going to take care of this now." It was obvious that Stacy had more to say but he kept it to himself and left the room, shaking his head. He found Sean and Kale and told them what had occurred. They were upset as well but decided to do as Kat asked and let it drop, let her make up her own mind about how she wanted things handled.  
  
Sean had known that Leon was trouble but no one had listened.  
  
*~*  
  
Leon walked into his house with his head hanging. He found everyone else sitting at the table eating supper. It occurred to him that he never did get to eat but he didn't find himself hungry anymore. He still wasn't in the mood to be alone so he sat in his seat at the table and looked around at all the happy couples. Dom and Letty, Mia and Brian, Vince and Nyssa. He felt like the only one out of place. Jesse was alone but since Jesse only chased skanks that wasn't likely to change any time in the near future. He didn't pick up on the tension between Letty and Nyssa or really the rest of his team.  
  
"What happened to you?" Vince asked, seeing that Leon was upset.  
  
"I'm havin' a real bad night." Leon growled.  
  
"Somethin wrong with the Skyline?" Jesse asked. The car being broken was all he could think of that was sure to ruin Leon's night.  
  
"Car's fine Jess." Leon answered with a sigh.  
  
"Well then, what's up?" Vince asked again. Dom looked on with a resigned expression that showed he clearly had a very good idea what had happened.  
  
"Kat dumped me." Leon admitted with an embarrassed look at having to admit that he'd been dumped for the first time ever.  
  
"Really?" Vince asked in shock. Kat had been so excited to get back with Leon that Vince found it hard to believe that she'd up and dump him mere weeks after getting him back. It had taken so much to get Leon to the point of taking her back that Vince couldn't believe Kat had just thrown it all away so quickly.  
  
"No, I'm lying about it. I thought it would make a really funny joke. Of course really." Leon snapped.  
  
"Well, I'm sorry I'm so shocked. I thought it was going ok. Why'd you break up this time?" Vince almost felt noisy but he figured that if Leon hadn't wanted to talk about it he wouldn't have sat down at the table in the middle of dinner. Nyssa kicked him under the table for his insensitive comments. Vince winced but no one could see the humour after Leon's announcement.  
  
"What happened?" Nyssa asked softly, her caring sympathy for Leon's feelings evident.  
  
"I don't know." Leon answered and shook his head. "We went out. I asked her if she was the girl you'd been talking to today. She told me no. I commented that that was strange because I didn't know who it would have been. She got mad at me for saying I didn't believe her when she'd told me it wasn't her, and that wasn't it at all. We had a big fight. She told me she'd known for a while no matter how much I said I was over everything," Leon shot Vince a pointed look, forgetting that Nyssa was watching, Vince cringed "That I wasn't and that I still checked her for if I thought she was lying or not. Then she left me. Walked home from the restaurant on her own. She wouldn't even let me drive her. It was like she couldn't stand to be in the same car as me long enough for me to drive her home."  
  
"What did you have to get over Leon?" Nyssa asked. She knew the story from Kat but she knew without asking there was more to it then Kat had let on that afternoon. There was more to it and it involved Vince. Nyssa was sure of it. And she was very curious about why Kat had lied to Leon about their chat.  
  
"Just something she did. Ironically before we even met. But I'm still pissed about it and I don't know what to do about it." Leon omitted the part of the story where Kat almost slept with Vince and sighed.  
  
"Well, you'll just have to get over it on your own Leon. No one can make you or help you with that. But I wish I could." Nyssa smiled softly at Leon and Letty rolled her eyes. Leon picked up on the fact that Nyssa knew what she was talking about. She was going through the same thing herself. Letty was clearly still irate at her former best friend.  
  
"Yeah. I guess." Leon stood. "But she dumped me. What was she thinking?" Leon winked at Nyssa and smiled. But it was forced and it was obvious to her. Leon walked down to his room, feet dragging.  
  
Nyssa dropped off into silent contemplation of what she could do to fix the rift between two people she felt were meant to be.  
  
"I don't know what to do about this." Nyssa said to the room in general.  
  
"Bout what?" Vince asked.  
  
"Leon and Kat." Nyssa answered, deep in thought.  
  
"Not much for you to do Nys. They'll either work it out or they won't." Vince answered.  
  
"But she's gonna need him. And I think he needs her too."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Letty asked sharply.  
  
"Nothing." Nyssa mumbled, not ready to fight Letty on her first day back with the team.  
  
"It's gonna be ok Nyssa. God, those two fight all the time. They'll make up any day now and then they'll fight again. It's just how Kat is. She's such a fireball that things are volatile around her."  
  
"I don't know about that Vince, but I hope so."  
  
"I don't really care either way. Kat's cocky and arrogant." Letty added her opinion.  
  
"She seems that way I guess." Nyssa answered, still looking at her plate not Letty.  
  
Nyssa didn't know how she was going to make up with Letty, what the other girl would see as a suitable penance. But she did know that her life was going to be unsettled until she and Letty came to some kind of understanding.  
  
She didn't want to correct Letty that mostly Kat only seemed that way. She was really that way when it came to racing which was likely what Letty was thinking of.  
  
Nyssa wasn't going to fix anything on her own, or right then so she just went back to eating quietly. 


	49. The Mystic Mustang

Chapter 49 – The Mystic Mustang  
  
Kat was lying in her room, thinking. She didn't want to go to races anymore. She wasn't in the mood at all. She knew she'd see Leon there. Since he was always around Dom, and the crowd was always around Dom too he'd be hard to miss. But she also felt that if she stayed home, if she let Leon drive her away from something she honestly loved then she'd have let him win. Not only would he have broken her heart, he'd have taken away the one thing she'd been striving for over the last many years of her life.  
  
But she also felt like she'd been waiting all her life to know Leon. And if she was right and she had then she'd just lost something she'd been striving for just as hard as she had to be the best on the racing scene in LA. But she felt like Leon was the guy that she'd always been wondering if existed. Sure, for most of the last 4 years she hadn't thought about boys too much but before she'd left NYC she'd wanted a boyfriend.  
  
And ok, her fantasy guy at the time had been 6'10", played ball for the Knicks, drove a Mercedes, and simply hadn't lived with her brothers. That alone had been enough to recommend most guys. The fact they weren't her brothers. Even before her mother had died her brothers had taken great pride in their ability to drive her nuts. But when her mom was gone her brothers had gotten even worse. Well, to be fair her oldest brother had gotten terrible. Her middle brother had just followed Josef with hero worship in his eyes. So if any guy had been tall, dark, handsome, and rich, and didn't live with or like her brothers he would have been 'the guy' for her. Reality brought home that such a guy didn't exist and even if he did he wasn't going for a 14 year old stick thin ballet dancer who looked 12 even then.  
  
Ok, if Mr. Right was no where to be found, and she dumped Mr. Right Now at dinner then what was she going to do? What if Mr. Right Now had simply been Mr. Right on a bad day? She laughed at her convoluted logic to spite herself and stood up off her bed. She got in the shower and thought the whole time. When she was clean she had a plan.  
  
She got dressed in a black leather skirt, knee high black boots with a platform sole, white thigh high stockings, and black top with front that looked like a halter top and the back was just to diamante straps across her back, crossing in the middle. The front was sparkly with red, blue, silver and purple sparkles. It had little silver tigers running along the bottom. It had been made for her by Nikki to match her car. Every time Kat looked at it since Nikki had given it to her it made her smile. Nikki was the best friend she ever could have asked for.  
  
Dressed and hair done Kat took a second to look in the mirror. She had two plans and she didn't know which one to enact. She made her decision and picked up the phone.  
  
*~*  
  
Leon stood up off his bed with a sigh. He was no closer to knowing what he wanted or what to do then he had been when he'd slunk off to his room. He was mad at himself all of a sudden. Why was he slinking off with his tail between his legs over some girl? She was just a girl. There were lots of them out there. Lots of them that would give anything to be with him for that matter. Never mind that most of them would be using him to get in close to Dom or just because they thought they'd be cool if they could say they'd been with him. Never mind that Kat had honestly wanted him. Never mind that she was everything he could ever want. Never mind he couldn't get her off his mind. Never mind he was already missing her.  
  
Never mind that Kat had been the first girl in a long time he felt wasn't using him for some other reason. He'd felt that Kat really liked and respected him. She'd had a point when she said that he was still mad at her for what she'd done. He was. He'd found out the hard way that he held grudges. Hell, if Nyssa was his girl and she'd believed the stuff about him that she'd believed about Vince he didn't know if he'd have forgiven her yet either. But Vince was seemingly happy just to have Nyssa back; he didn't seem overly concerned about what she'd done. Why couldn't he just be like that? Just be happy that a great girl wanted to be with him. And he'd done some really mean things to Kat, but she'd honestly forgiven him already.  
  
Well, the answer wasn't forthcoming so he was just wasting time standing in his room feeling sorry for himself. He wandered up the stairs and found the rest of the team standing in the foyer getting ready to head out.  
  
"We were wondering if you were coming." Vince smirked. "You sure you feeling up to it pumpkin? You don't look so good."  
  
"Vince!" Nyssa shot him a quelling look. "Seriously, are you ok Leon? You look tired."  
  
"I'll be fine. Let's role." Leon said and started to try and get his team out of their house. Dom shot him a look. One of those 'Dom' looks that he didn't get the meaning behind and didn't want to.  
  
He realized that he was parked at the end of the driveway so he got in his car and fired it up. He couldn't help the glance at Kat's house. The lights were all off and there were no cars in the drive. Since they only had a two car garage and three cars that meant at least one of their cars was gone. He backed carefully onto the street and then peeled off down the road. The team followed him and then right before the warehouse the got into formation.  
  
*~*  
  
Kat dialled the number that would connect her to the man she had to speak to.  
  
"Yo." Her call was answered in the typical fashion.  
  
"God Connor, when you gonna learn how to answer the god damn phone?" Kat asked with a sigh.  
  
"Baby Girl! Haven't heard from you in so long I forgot how to do it." Kat could literally hear Connor's grin over the phone line by the tone of his voice. She put her sweetest, most desperate tone in her voice.  
  
"Whatcha doin tonight baby?"  
  
"I'm baby now am I?" Connor asked with a laugh. "Whatcha need?" Kat laughed. Connor knew her almost as well as Sean.  
  
"I need a ride."  
  
"What's wrong with that damn expensive car of yours now?" Connor asked with worry in his tone.  
  
"Nothing. I just need to make a statement and around this crowd nothing's gonna make a statement like your car."  
  
"It's pretty sweet huh?" Connor asked with almost paternal pride in his voice.  
  
"Yeah, and I need an 'old flame' to be driving it if you catch me." Kat grinned with thoughts of what she was going to pull tonight at the warehouse.  
  
"How could I turn you down when you put it like that Baby Girl. I'll pull by for you shortly."  
  
"See ya then babe." Kat said and hung up. She walked downstairs to where her guys were sitting. "I'm getting a ride to races with Connor tonight. You guys can take the eclipse or the skyline. It's up to you."  
  
"Why's Connor coming to races?" Sean asked.  
  
"I need him for something." Kat answered enigmatically and sat down.  
  
"Aiight." Sean answered with a frown. A plan evil enough to put a grin like the one he was seeing on Kat's face was evil indeed and he was scared. If Kat was now this happy after the terrible day she'd had then she had a whopper on the way. Plus the way she was dressed was slutty, even for Kat. They all knew she wasn't a slut. She'd learned not to be self conscious about how she looked in tight cloths at a young age because of her dance so she felt at home in cloths most girls would never be caught dead in. But the school girl outfit with the very naughty, leather flair was very over the top sexy.  
  
Connor rolled up and honked out front. Kat climbed into his Mustang and fastened her harness. She saw Nikki in the back and said hello to her friend before turning back to Connor. Nikki was wearing almost as little as Kat was. They were going to make quite a splash.  
  
"Thanks for coming. You didn't have other plans did you?" Kat asked with a smile as they waited for the guys to pile into the Eclipse so they could head out.  
  
"Naw. Nothing more important then seeing my baby girl and helping her out with some evil scheme. Are you trying to ruin some guy with that outfit Kitten?"  
  
"No. Who? Me?" Kat asked with a pseudo innocent smile.  
  
"Yeah, you. You need me to pretend we was a couple and we got back together?"  
  
"Yeah. Make it look good too. I want the guy to be pissed off." Kat's grin got bigger.  
  
"Ok Kitten. But remember you asked for it."  
  
"I wouldn't have called you if I didn't want it to be over the top C." Kat watched the road as Connor fired up the Mustang and took off with a squeal. The other guys followed in their car.  
  
*~*  
  
They were just standing around waiting to see who was racing and what Dom was going to do when Kat's convertible with her three friends pulled up along with a car that no one had ever seen before. It wasn't Kat's skyline. It was one of about 1000 2004 SVT Mustang Cobra R's made and it was even more rare because it was the limited addition Mystichrome model and as such had the Mystichrome paint. It was a beautiful chameleon color paint, mostly blue but looking like someone spilled oil on it and the multicolour effect stayed. As the viewing angle changed, the car's color morphed from topaz green to cobalt blue to royal purple to deep onyx black. It rolled on 20 inch chrome rims that were an exact replica of the 18 inch chrome rims the car had come equipped with from the factory, and they were shod in g-force racing tires that were definitely not stock.  
  
It was a beautiful car but it didn't really belong on the scene. Well, the 390 horsepower and 12.3 second quarter mile the Mustang had come with from the factory certainly put it up in a tuning category with the best import cars around. But the chrome mustang on the grill seemed to bespeak of a different era of cars. Of an age when Steve McQueen was playing Frank Bullit, hunting down the bad guys and racing through the streets of another California town. Not when people were tuning mom's Honda to run street races. If Frank had known who was driving his car he'd have had a fit.  
  
All eyes were on the unique Cobra R, as was likely planned by the girl in the passenger seat for one of the few times in her life. A black man in his late 20's got out of the driver's seat and went around to the passenger and opened the door. Everyone wanted to know who was in the mystic car with the blacked out windows.  
  
Leon thought he had a clue. If Kat's guys had rolled up behind the Mustang then he'd bet money Kat was in the Mustang. As his suspicions were confirmed and the girl inside took the man's offered hand and stood up out of the Mustang with her nothing less then her usual grace and wrapped her arms around the man's neck as she smiled up at him. The other man leaned down toward Kat and as he wrapped his arms around her waist kissed her where her neck met her bare shoulder. Then he stood up more and as he said something to Kat right in her ear Leon thought he might have to hit something hard. Kat laughed back at the black man and smiled up at him.  
  
He watched as Kat turned and helped her friend Nikki out of the back seat. He watched as the driver of the Mustang wrapped his arm around Kat's waist and looked around with a huge grin on his face. He'd gotten the prize, only it seemed he knew it. Nyssa shot Leon a sympathetic glance, then shot Kat a speculative one.  
  
Nyssa didn't know what was up with the blonde girl she'd just met. First she wanted things to work out with Leon, then she'd dumped him and had already gotten a new boyfriend it seemed. But Nyssa looked closer with her heart instead of her eyes and realized that Kat was heart broken and while there was a deep kinship between Kat and her new escort there was no romance. Nyssa didn't know what Kat was playing at but it was clear the other girl was playing some sort of game.  
  
Leon got back in his car and started to check the scanner. He had to do something, anything that would prevent him from seeing Kat hanging over some other guy.  
  
*~*  
  
When they pulled up Kat could tell everyone was staring at the new car. The Mustang was out of place. All the guys with NOS were likely looking at it thinking they could walk away from it in a race. Kat knew better. She and Sean had tuned it after all. It was a very powerful car. Of course most v-8 supercharged cars were. She'd beaten Connor when she'd raced him in her own Skyline but Connor was a better get away driver then a racer. Kat watched as Connor hopped out and came around to her side of the car. She couldn't miss the Glock 9mm in the back of the waistband of his pants. She hoped she hadn't made a big mistake bringing Connor around. He was as hot headed as Stacy. Kat knew he was a violent man with mostly everyone but her. It was too late to second guess herself now. Plus Connor was the biggest ham she'd ever met. If anyone could do over the top lovey dovey it was Connor.  
  
She knew she was right when he helped her out of the car and kissed her neck then grinned down at her in his playful way. She knew most people would see the grin as that of a guy who thought he was getting lucky that night. But Kat knew the grin was because Connor loved to pull pranks and he figured this one was a doozy.  
  
"You are such a clown." Kat laughed up at him and then helped Nikki out of the car. Nikki looked concerned.  
  
"Kat, are you sure this is a good idea? Look where trying to make him jealous got you last time." Nikki voiced her concerns.  
  
"I'm sure. I'm not trying to make anyone jealous this time. This is all about me. This is about showing him that it's not like he's the only guy I can get. Connor's my old boyfriend who came and begged me to take him back and so since I find myself single I told him we'd give it another try. Connor laughed.  
  
"I begged you to take me back?" Connor looked incredulous at that scenario. Of course, he'd never had a girl leave him, let alone begged one to take him back.  
  
"Yeah. You know if we had dated then broken up you'd be beggin me to take yo' ass back. No guy can go without me after he's had a taste." Kat doubled over laughing at the look on Connor's face.  
  
"Hey now. I know we're pretending to be an item but you're like my lil sis. Don't talk like that to me please." Connor had a mock look of disgust on his face.  
  
"C, you were mackin on me seconds ago." Kat laughed.  
  
"That was all in good fun." Connor groaned.  
  
"Well, so was what I said." Kat smirked and Connor grabbed her by the waist and spun her around several times really fast before he stopped. He then staggered up against the side of his car.  
  
"Why aren't you dizzy?" Connor asked. Making Kat dizzy had been his only point.  
  
"I've done one too many p..." Kat caught herself about to admit to doing ballet. She stopped. "I just don't get dizzy." She stuck out her tongue at Connor. Connor just sighed. Sean and Stacy came walking up to them, smiling despite themselves.  
  
"You two deserve each other. Yo' both crazy." Sean told them. "And here comes trouble." Sean said as he moved beside his brother and took a menacing stance.  
  
"What'dya mean trouble?" Kat tossed back as Sean over her shoulder.  
  
"Your boy V's on his way over here." Stacy told Kat. Kat spun around just as Vince reached their sphere.  
  
"Hey Kat." If Kat wasn't mistaken Vince didn't look very happy for a man who just got the long lost love of his life back.  
  
"Hey V. How's it goin'?" She tried to remain neutral since Vince was her friend, even if she did want to hurt one of Vince's best friends and kill one of his other ones, respectively.  
  
"Great. Can we talk for a second?" Vince asked and without waiting for her to answer he took her hand, pulled her away from Connor and led her over to his Maxima. Kat went reluctantly, knowing what was coming her way in some capacity.  
  
"What's on your mind Vince?" Kat asked with a frown on her face. Vince was agitated about something. It was obvious to her.  
  
"What's with you Kat?" Vince asked, or rather almost shouted.  
  
Ok, she'd been wrong. Vince was down right livid. And it seemed it was with her.  
  
"Nothing Vince. Didn't much feel like driving tonight is all." She tried to bluff her way out of explaining. Hoped that Vince wouldn't delve deeper into it then that. She didn't know how to go about explaining Connor's presence to Vince. She really didn't want him to think she was a slut but she didn't want him to run and tell Leon Connor's presence was just a sham.  
  
"Yeah, ok. I don't much care about that. What's up with going so out of your way to get back with Leon and then dropping him such a short while later?" Vince was trying hard to keep his temper in check but Kat, ever sensitive to the moods of others around her picked up on his anger.  
  
"Vince, he doesn't trust me at all. And he's still angry at me. I refuse to live my life any farther trying to make what I did up to him. I can't. I've tried and he's still mad. He's still holdin that grudge. I'm outta stuff to do to make it up to him. So it's his problem now. He's gotta work it out on his own."  
  
"Ok. I can see where you'd be coming from with that but what's up with notorious B.I.G. over there? You replaced Leon that fast?" Vince said contemptuously. His scorn for Connor was very evident. Vince couldn't believe the Kitten he'd gotten to know would do that to Leon.  
  
"Vince, that is an old friend of mine. It's not like he's a wannabe, that's how he is. It's not some gangster act. He is a gangster. Besides, why do you care?" Kat was pissed off at the whole Toretto team. She liked Vince, but despite that fact, and despite the fact that Vince was clearly very mad with her over the whole Connor thing, she was proud of the act she was putting on. She knew it was wrong, she knew she should feel guilty, and she was sure those feelings would come. But for right now she was pushing them down and enjoying being the center of attention.  
  
"If you don't want Leon back till he's ready then why try to make him jealous? It didn't really work last time." Vince growled at Kat. He was really upset with her. He had to be happy with her for not telling Nyssa what they'd done, but he was still pissed about what she'd done to Leon. But then again Vince could tell Nyssa had an idea they were all keeping something from her anyway and Vince's bad mood had been added to by the thoughts that he was going to have to tell Nyssa what he'd done on his own before she found out from someone else. If he told her he could hope she wouldn't be too mad considering she'd been the one to take off. If she found out from someone else on her own then she'd think he'd been trying to keep it from her because he was ashamed of what he'd done. And he wasn't. He just didn't want to hurt Nyssa. Kat continued to speak just as he realized he'd left Nyssa with Letty. The one person in the world who at that moment wanted to hurt Nyssa. Vince realized he'd have to wrap up his conversation with Kat and get back to Nyssa before Letty made his whole dilemma of when to tell Nyssa moot.  
  
"I'm not trying to make him jealous. I guess I knew that it would be a side effect of doing this but it's more to show him he's not the be all and end all of guys. I could have other guys and I don't have to wait around hoping he forgives me. I want him to know that. It'll help him make up his mind if he wants to get over things or not."  
  
"If you say so. Why'd you fight with him anyway? Why didn't you just tell him that you had been the girl that talked to Nyssa?"  
  
"Cause of how he went about asking. He didn't really ask, he just assumed then waited to see if I'd confirm it for him. He was testing me and I refused to play along." Kat frowned up at Vince. She wanted the conversation over. She wanted to go back to Connor and her team. Like Sean and Connor figured that out they came over to where she and Vince were standing.  
  
"Everything ok Kitten baby?" Connor asked as he wrapped an arm around Kat's waist.  
  
"Yeah, great." Kat answered. "Connor, this is Vince. Vince, this is Connor Black." Kat made the introductions. Vince looked even more upset when he found out who Kat was playing with.  
  
"Well, I gotta get back to Nyssa. See you around?" Vince asked as he turned to walk away. He didn't want Kat to think the conversation was over because in Vince's mind it was far from. He had more to say on the matter of her dropping Leon and then trying to make him feel even worse by coming around with a new man. But he did realize who the other man was and figured if Kat hadn't ended up wanting to be with Sean it was doubtful she'd end up with his older brother.  
  
"You'll still know where I live dude." Kat laughed at Vince.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I will." Vince said with a laugh and walked away.  
  
"What was up wit that Kitten?" Connor asked as he put his arm around her again and they walked back toward the mustang.  
  
"That was my friend Vince, and nothing was up except he is also 'the guys' friend Vince." Kat answered with a little laugh at how that sounded.  
  
"The guy that I'm here to impress huh?"  
  
"Not impress. Just to let him know that it's not like I couldn't go to Voodoo or whatever and have another guy that wanted to date me."  
  
"Glad you finally realized that sugga." Connor told Kat as they reached the side of his car again. Connor leaned against the door of his car, grabbed Kat by the hips and pulled her against him. "Your guy is looking at us."  
  
"He is?" Kat asked, laughed for effect and tossed her hair over one shoulder.  
  
"Yeah. Well, some guy is. And now he's comin over here. Every one of these guys is gonna be over here to find out who I am ain't they?"  
  
"Maybe." Kat sighed. Connor decided that if she wanted over the top he'd give it to her. As the other man approached he leaned down and kissed Kat on the lips. She kissed him back for show and he could feel the giggles racking her slight frame against his chest as she did. She was finding the whole situation hilarious. To play along Kat ran her hands up over Connors chest till they were locked around his neck.  
  
Stacy tried not to laugh. Kale looked scandalized. Sean looked like he definitely did not think this was a great idea. Kat wondered when she was going to hear Leon call her name or feel him grab her shoulder. Connor ended the kiss and nibbled down her neck.  
  
"Connor baby, put on some music." Kat implored in a voice she hoped one might use to sweet talk a boyfriend.  
  
"Sure thing baby girl." He turned on his stereo and it started to blast out 'Outrageous' by Britney Spears, whom Kat hated but the song had some irony in the situation she found herself in.  
  
"Good choice baby." Kat giggled. She'd forgotten about the fact that a member of the Toretto's had been on his way over.  
  
"Kat, can we talk?" Dom asked. When she heard Dom's voice behind her she jumped a mile.  
  
Kat turned around to face him. "Um, sure. What do you want to talk about?" 


	50. Grudge Match

Chapter 50 – Grudge Match  
  
AN: Welcome back Angel! Pull up a stool and enjoy the story time! Hi to everyone else. Instructions for story use. Read, rinse, repeat, review! Peace.  
  
"Can we talk over here, alone?" Dom asked in a tone Kat was sure made his team jump to do what he wanted. Kat hated to break it to Dom but she wasn't on his team, she never would be, and he didn't scare her. If he was smart, he'd be the one scared. Of Connor. But he likely didn't know who Connor was. She didn't want to make a scene so she followed Dom a short distance away from her team.  
  
"What is it Dom?" Kat asked, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"I thought you told me you didn't get back with Leon just to get to drop him."  
  
"I didn't. Not that it's any of your business."  
  
"I'm sick of you playing with his mind and his heart. I told you not to do it." He saw her start to speak and cut her off. "You told me you really liked him but yet here you are the day you break up with him dressed like a...and all over some other guy." Dom was as mad or more so then Vince had been but he was smart enough even then not to finish the sentence dressed like a whore.  
  
Kat knew it was what he had been going to say. She was sick of the lot of them being up in her business.  
  
"I told you I didn't drop him just to drop him and that's all the explanation you're getting. I don't owe you or Leon shit." Kat stood about a foot away from Dom with her hands on her hips, staring him down, even though he was almost a foot taller then her. It was just her attitude.  
  
"Do you know who you're talking to?" Dom asked Kat with an incredulous look on his face. No one around races talked to him like that. He wasn't use to it at all. He was use to people being scared of his temper and letting him do what he wanted because they knew he ran the racing scene. He knew Kat wanted to go to the top of that scene so he didn't know where she got off talking down to him and pissing him off. She wasn't going to get her shot if she pissed him off. Kat answered his question.  
  
"The more important question is, do you?" Kat sneered with her answer.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not scared of you. Stay away from Leon and the rest of my team. And keep your team away from us too." Dom stated and made a dismissive hand gesture.  
  
"Fuck you Dominic. I don't owe you shit and I'll do what I want. You bother me once more and I'll stop telling Sean to leave ya'll alone. And since Connor is around tonight...Well, let's just say that Connor isn't good at controlling his temper. So if I call him over here, you'll have something to be scared of." Kat was being the biggest bitch and she didn't care. They had her so mad. And she never could control her acid tongue when people pissed her off. She knew it wasn't nice of her to threaten Dom with a man like Connor. They rolled in two totally different ways. But if Dom wanted to fuck with her she'd oblige him.  
  
"Yeah, you do that, sic your 'big gangsta' on me. You can't fight your own battles you need them to do it for you. You're scared to race me so you get someone else to drive you here so you won't have to. You're scared of everything." Dom sneered back at Kat.  
  
"Scared? To race you? Not likely." Kat laughed derisively. "You wanna go baby?" She purred at Dom, going toe to toe with him. "We'll go now." She finished in a mockingly sweet tone.  
  
"You have no ride sweetheart." Dom retorted in a sarcastically sweet way.  
  
"I have a 2004 SVT Mustang Cobra R. Or are you scared to race me and you're using the car issue as an excuse not to?" Kat asked, grinning at the thought of the great Dom Toretto being scared to race her.  
  
"Your boyfriend" Dom put a sarcastic tone on boyfriend, "will let you drive his car?"  
  
"Of course." Kat didn't bother to correct Dom's assumption Connor was her boyfriend.  
  
Letty had heard Dom call Kat sweetheart and even though it was obvious that they were fighting Letty was still pissed to hear Dom use an endearment on another girl.  
  
"Go back to your own man ho, and leave mine alone." Letty broke into the conversation.  
  
"Fuck this shit! You wanna run Toretto you come get me and we'll run. You betta put a leash on your bitch though, for somethin happens to her." Dom turned red under his dark skin at Kat's implication that she'd harm Letty, and Letty sputtered about being called a bitch. Kat spun on her heel and found Letty in her face. Kat moved to go around her and Letty countered her. No one called Letty a bitch and got away with it.  
  
"Who you callen a bitch ho? Look how you're dressed. I want you to stay the hell away from my man Skank."  
  
"Your man came to get me! As if I want him around me! Oh and I'm the skank? That's rich coming from a girl who's man makes sailors look like saints! Move bitch! Get out my way." Kat said in a deceptively calm voice and went to move around Letty again. And again Letty countered the movement and stopped Kat from getting around her. Both Letty and Dom were reeling from Kat's implication that Dom was a man whore and Letty was one of his skanks. Kat knew she'd gone too far for decency but she was too pissed off to care at that point.  
  
Letty was two seconds away from throwing punches.  
  
"I said fuck this shit, get out my way bitch." Kat raised her voice as she made that statement and then pushed Letty backwards and walked around her, hips swishing, while Letty was still struggling for her balance. Letty came at Kat from behind but before she could take the other girl by surprise she was staring into the suddenly very cold eyes of Connor as he went for his Glock. Letty reared back in surprise from the look on Connor's face. The absolute lack of compassion or fear in his black gaze shook her like nothing had in a long time.  
  
"Is there a problem?" Connor asked in a deceptively calm voice, staring at Dom and Letty in turn as he pulled Kat against his side. "These people hassling you Kitten?"  
  
"Nothing I can't handle baby. Let's go back to Sean." Kat started to lead Connor away by the hand and with one last glare at Letty. Connor allowed himself to be led away, ever mindful of their act, staring at Kat's swaying hips in her tight, short leather skirt.  
  
"Oh, and you're on for that race Kat. I'll see you at the line." Dom shouted, mad on Leon's behalf for the show Kat was putting on with another man in front of all the people who knew Leon and knew that he and Kat had just broken up. It had to be humiliating for Leon to have the whole scene know that his girl had gone out and gotten with another guy so soon after they'd broken up. Kat spun around and flipped Dom off then turned around and walked with Connor. Kat and Connor arrived back by their cars.  
  
"What race?" Connor asked, suspicion he knew what race already evident on his face.  
  
"Connor, you'll let me drive your car to race Dom right? I mean I didn't know he was going to challenge me or I would have driven us here in the Skyline but I mean you won't make me back down right?" Kat asked in her best little girl, give me what I want voice.  
  
Connor groaned.  
  
"Kat, I had that car for like three months now. I haven't even really raced it unless you count stop light races." Connor whined back at her.  
  
"You know you don't drive like I do C. Let me show you what she can really do. I'll beat his Italian ass then we can go have a party."  
  
"You sure you can beat him?"  
  
"As sure as I am that the guy in the yellow skyline never took his eyes off us yet tonight." Kat purred.  
  
"Well, you got that part right. I guess you can take my car to race the asshole. But you better bring it back in one piece."  
  
"I will. You get the spray installed in the 'Stang yet?"  
  
"Yeah. But if you don't have to use it, don't."  
  
"I'll have to with this guy." Kat said, but she smiled while she said it. She was going to get to race. Adrenaline was flowing from her near fight with Letty and her argument with Dom. She knew if it came down to it Letty would leave her in a very hurt state but Kat figured it would never come to that because the guys would send her packing all without hitting her if she ever started shit.  
  
*~*  
  
"Did you hear what she said to me?" Letty asked Dom, still shaken about what she'd seen in Connor's eyes.  
  
"I can't believe how she talked to me." Dom answered back to Letty as they walked back up to the rest of their team.  
  
"What happened man?" Vince asked the couple as they walked back up.  
  
"Kat just called Letty a bitch and threatened that something might happen to her." Dom answered, still livid.  
  
"Then she implied that Dom is a male slut and I'm one of his bitches." Letty snarled out.  
  
"No, you must have misunderstood her." Vince couldn't believe that the Kat he knew would act like that. Nyssa also looked like she couldn't believe that would happen.  
  
"Those are her exact words man, I don't think I could have misunderstood that." Dom replied. "And that Connor guy is scary."  
  
"You got that right." Brian broke in. "Her buddy Sean is bad enough, but I really wouldn't want to mess with Connor."  
  
"She must be more upset over recent events then she'd letting on then." Vince tried to stand up for Kat. Even though he was mad at her he also knew that essentially Kat was not like how she was acting that evening.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Nyssa asked.  
  
"She's a good hearted person. She's not mean. But she will lash out if she's cornered and she might have felt like all of us tracking her down to say something to her about Leon was backing her into a corner. Vince looked around to make sure Leon was still in his car, too far away to hear them speaking about him.  
  
"She's always been a wildcat when it came to getting in fights with Dom." Jesse reminded them. "Something about him just brings out the worst in her. You know what they say about like charged particles, they repel each other. And Dom and Kat are just too much alike."  
  
"She and I really never have gotten along, we always seem to end up in a war." Dom added. "I don't know why it is or how that came to be."  
  
"The fact you made a snap judgement about her the second you found out where she was from and who she rolled with maybe?" Brian stated rhetorically.  
  
"She seemed so nice." Nyssa interjected, and then looked up in shock, realizing no one had known for sure it was Kat she'd been speaking to that afternoon.  
  
"Oh did she?" Dom asked. "So it was her you were speaking to then?"  
  
"Um...Yeah." Nyssa admitted. Vince had already known but the rest of the team had not.  
  
"Then why didn't she just tell Leon that?" Brian asked in confusion. He really liked Kat and he couldn't understand why she was acting like she was. Plus he was going to have to work with her again come Monday and he didn't know how to keep his work relationship with Kat separate from her strained relationship with his team.  
  
"I think it had something to do with how he tried to sort of con the info out of her. If he'd asked her point blank she likely would have but he tried to trick her into admitting it and Kat doesn't take well to that kind of thing." Vince explained.  
  
"Yeah, she's a firecracker, but she's compassionate too. I mean look how she made sure that nothing happened to Leon the first time the shit hit the fan." Brian threw out. "And you should see her and Harry together. It's downright comical the way they go on and you'd never dream she could act like this when you watch her around work. And the way she interacts with her guys. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone who's so caring of most people in her life."  
  
"Well, she better watch her back the next time I see her alone." Letty growled. "She's not gonna get away with talking to me like she did."  
  
"Let it go Letty." Vince told her.  
  
"Why are you standing up for her Vince?"  
  
"Because I don't want to see anything happen to you." Letty went to protest. "And I'm not saying that Kat could beat you in a fight." Vince cut Letty's protest off before it started. "But I don't know if we could protect you should the rest of her friends decide to take exception to you beating her in a fight. Even if it was a fair one." Letty looked mutinous but she nodded that she understood.  
  
"It's time to race. Maybe putting her in her place on the street will knock her down a peg or two." Dom told his team and motioned Hector over to him.  
  
"How's it goin Bro?" Hector asked as he shook Dom's hand.  
  
"Good. Me'n Kat are gonna race, and I'm ready to roll." Dom smiled as he made his statement.  
  
"Just you two?" At Dom's nod, Hector continued. "What's she gonna drive?"  
  
"Her man's car." Dom sneered his statement out with a low growl.  
  
"Alright then. I take it you want me to go tell her it's time." Hector asked, puzzlement over why Dom and Kat seemed to be having some sort of grudge match evident.  
  
"You got it." Dom told Hector and watched the Latin man walk over to the other main group of people clustered at the warehouse. 


	51. Time to Dance

Chapter 51 – Time to Dance  
  
AN: I'm finding it so interesting that some people are still on Kat's side, some are on Leon's and some people just want them both to realize neither of them is a saint and meet in the middle. Well, see how this goes over people! Remember, read, rinse, repeat if necessary, review. ;) Love always, Tempest.  
  
Kat watched the Toretto's out of the corner of her eye as they had a heated debate of some sort and then she saw Dom head for his car and send Hector over her way.  
  
"He says it's on Kat. You sure you know what you're doing?" The Latin man asked as he walked up.  
  
"Oh, I know very well what I'm doing. He's not getting away with talking to me like he did. I'ma school him on a few home truths tonight my friend." Kat laughed. She knew she likely should be nervous at getting a shot at Dom but she couldn't find a hint of that emotion in herself.  
  
Just hot anger and delicious adrenaline.  
  
It flowed through her blood like NOS in her car. It hyped her up and made her disregard even the most sensible of emotions like caution and fear. It pooled heavy and hot in her lower abdomen and sent shooting pulses of pure excitement through her body. It was her drug of choice. It had her just as hooked as Blow or Juice would have. She'd do almost anything for a fix.  
  
Even race Dominic Toretto in a car she'd only driven once before and never raced in her life.  
  
They arrived on the line to race and Connor helped Kat into the driver's seat and watched as she adjusted the Mystic Leather racing buckets. Kat stood up out of the car and looked at Connor's face.  
  
"I'll be good to the car C. You don't have to worry."  
  
"I know the car'll be fine. I know you drive like no one else girl. I'd trust you with my life so the car's not even an issue. I'll worry about you racing this guy. He seems like a jerk."  
  
"He is, but he's honourable when it comes to racing. I'll be fine that way. But if I lose I'll never live it down. I want one of you guys at the finish in case it's close and his team tries to call it in his favour even if it's not."  
  
"Consider it done." Connor answered and gestured for Kale and Stacy to go to the finish. Nikki hugged Kat quickly and went with Stacy. Kat giggled. "What?" Connor asked.  
  
"Some things never change." Kat replied with a smile.  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"You ordering the guys around and expecting them to just jump to do what you ask. The guys doing what you ask even when they'd just laugh at anyone else who tried that shit. Stacy and Nikki."  
  
"Those things'll never change." Connor answered. That was just the way it was.  
  
"Yeah, but some things do change." Kat answered and her face fell.  
  
"Like what?" Connor asked.  
  
"Like me working for a living. Like me wishing that the guys and I still lived with you." Kat's eyes clouded over.  
  
"But I thought you were happy now baby girl. That's why I didn't make you move home." Connor said and looked betrayed that Kat would rather be unhappy then come back to 'the fold' as it were. "You wanna come home you can. We miss you around the place anyway." Connor started to knead Kat's shoulders as they spoke, sensing she was getting tense.  
  
Kat leaned back into Connor and tried to take strength from his presence. He had so much strength and toughness Kat hoped he'd share some with her. Sometimes it was so hard for her to keep the brave act up to hide behind. But she knew, or at least she thought she knew, that if the brave wall ever fell down and everyone saw the scared little girl who was behind it hiding, no one would ever respect her again.  
  
"I am happy. At least, I was happy. But this whole thing with Leon's just made me wish that I'd never left south side, that I'd never met him. I'd likely be wit someone like Brody. Someone like us. Not wishing I with some guy that I have nothing in common with who doesn't understand me. Someone that's just from a totally different world and doesn't get how ours works. Everything he does makes me act like a mad woman and I don't like it. I'm not myself when we're apart or fighting. It's like I spend every second of my life going to extremes and I hate it." Kat frowned and sighed. "Plus Brian lives with them and Harry's liable to go nuts when he hears what went down tonight."  
  
"It'll be ok Baby. Really. It'll all be fine." Connor leaned down and kissed Kat's shoulder like he'd done so many times in the past to comfort her and calm her down. He knew that Sean cared for nothing in his life more then he cared for Kat and Connor seconded the feeling. He knew just what his Kitten needed to feel better too. She needed to kick a little Italian ass. "Now get in my car and win this race for me. I wanna know what the 'Stang can do and I know just the girl to show me."  
  
"Thanks C." Kat said, turning around to face her friend. Connor hugged her to him and then helped her into the car.  
  
"Oh, and your guy in the yellow car is still staring at us." Connor laughed.  
  
"Good. I hope he's mad at me. I'm mad enough at him." Kat answered and started up the mustang. It came to life with a loud roar, which evened out to a steady purr after a second. It wasn't as powerful as the skyline but Kat could still sense the power, barely restrained.  
  
All that stood between her and about 500 or so horsepower was a clutch disk. It was momentarily sobering but then the thrill of the hunt took over. It was time to dance, perform automotive ballet. She kept telling herself after 10 seconds or less she'd be the one blowing kisses from the top of the world after she handed Dom's arrogant, loud mouth, overconfident ass to him. She expected to win solidly. Racing was her calling and she didn't allow any thoughts of not winning enter her head in the minutes before she'd race the race of her life.  
  
Vince came over to her car.  
  
"You ready to roll Kat?" Vince asked. "You sure you know what you're doing racing Dom in a car that you're not familiar with?"  
  
"I'll be fine. Soon as we're ready to roll I'm ready to race." Vince nodded and went to speak to Hector. Hector spoke to Leon over the two ways then held up his hands. Connor went to stand with Sean on the side. Leon said something back to Hector and then Hector dropped his arms. Kat and Dom took off in unison with a squeal.  
  
Kat smoked the rear tires of the Mustang. She wasn't use to the weight distribution of the mustang or the gear ratio. She also found the clutch wasn't as sensitive as that of the Skyline. It was hard to feather it instead of popping it to get a good launch. She didn't quite get it right and she lurched a bit off the line.  
  
"Sorry baby. Be good to me." Kat spoke out loud to the car. She wasn't use to the car and it was telling. Dom had launched his RX-7 better and had a lead on her. Not a big one but a lead none the less. Kat had to push the Mustang harder then the Skyline to get the same result. But she was slowly catching up to Dom.  
  
She was pushing the car as hard as she dared. It was racing ahead with power that threw her back into her seat. The mustang matched its horsepower rating with its torque rating exactly. It had the power to haul. Dom's rotary engine lacked low end torque and didn't have as much as Kat's powerful V-8 at any point of its power band. That allowed her to gain on him each time he shifted up. He lost a significant amount of power in the lower RPMs he hit at each shift and Kat did not. However, Dom's car was lighter and had a better weight distribution. For two different cars they were likely as evenly matched as any two such different cars were going to be.  
  
She shifted up again and caught him a bit more. Dom must have hit another gear too because he again started to pull away from her. Kat checked the aftermarket speed gage mounted to the a-pillar and she was going 130. There was about 3 seconds of race left. She hit NOS 1 and dumped a 150 shot of NOS into the engine. She laughed with the thrill of the huge NOS hit into the already straining, screaming engine. She hadn't known just how huge the shot of NOS Connor had set up was. She flew past Dom, who hit his NOS and caught her then passed her.  
  
Kat hit her 5th gear and then used NOS 2. She caught Dom and the two raced side by side for the next second of race. One racer would edge out and the other would counter. Neither could get a head of the other for longer then a nanosecond. Then Dom slowly edged out in front of the colour changing Mustang.  
  
With the finish line in sight and closing fast, sparks began to fly out of Dom's exhaust and Kat passed him. She got over the line ahead of him but she knew his car had been having issues. She pulled up and got out. Nikki came up and hugged her, squealing.  
  
"You won, you won!" Nikki laughed. "That was the coolest thing I ever saw. That car looks sic under the streetlights. It changes colour totally every two feet. It was so cool!" Nikki babbled on. She hadn't seen Kat race in a long time and she'd forgotten what it was like.  
  
"I'll let you ride along next time Nikki, if you wanna see cool." Kat grinned. She'd won. But she knew it hadn't been a fair win.  
  
"I still can't believe you won in Connor's mustang!" Nikki fairly bubbled with excitement and Kat caught Stacy staring at Nikki's bouncing butt. She grinned. She thought it was a good match and she was glad Stacy had come to his senses and gotten back with Nikki. But then Kat felt the need to be fair and correct her friend. She didn't know where the nice streak was coming from but she couldn't let the crowd think she'd won fairly when she hadn't. She thought of being the best as racing the best and winning fair and square.  
  
Dom got out of his car and was walking up to them but Kat didn't know that because he was coming up behind her.  
  
"Yeah, I did win but in the last second or so of race his engine threw an apex seal. His rear rotor is toast and that's why he lost. It would have come down pretty close to a dead heat if that hadn't happened." Kat admitted honestly. Dom was again shocked at the fact she didn't just not say anything about his engine trouble and let everyone think he was just using it as an excuse why he didn't win when he told people about his fried engine. Not to mention she knew why his engine was fried too. Nikki frowned at Kat's admission.  
  
"Thanks for the honesty Kat. But it was pretty close even before then. So you did good for someone driving a borrowed car." Dom thought it would be small to continue to fight with her after she admitted that he lost due to an engine failure. Dom watched as Kat's back stiffened. It was clear she hadn't known he was there. She was so full of pride. So much like him, Dom thought with a rueful smile and a shake of his bald head. Brian and the rest of his team had that right.  
  
"Yeah. When I beat you I want it to be fair and square. No half ass victories." Kat arrogantly stated. Her pride wouldn't let her take Dom's olive branch at all. She was still so mad at him, and his whole team really, and ready to kick the shit out of Letty. Or at least give it her best try. Dom looked pissed again but then Vince, who'd heard the whole thing, broke in.  
  
"Children, time to let it go for the evening. We need to get the RX-7 home now before the cops come Dom. You know you can't outrun them running on one rotor." With that Dom sighed. Vince was right. Dom climbed back into his car and took off with it. He had to limp home with it. It sounded terrible.  
  
"Well, he's out of racing for like at least two weeks. That's if he and Jesse tear that down and rebuild it and don't do anything else during that two weeks. He's gonna have to pull the engine." Kat told the group in general as they drove back to the start and met back up with Connor and Sean. The two men had already heard the story of the race.  
  
"Wanna have a party?" Connor asked everyone but made sure to look at Kat for the effect.  
  
Kat could see Leon out of the corner of her eye. He was talking to some blonde chick off beside his car. They looked very cozy. Kat knew it would be like the pot calling the kettle black if she were to get upset about it but she didn't have to like it. He was within hearing distance so Kat smiled softly back up at Connor, milking the act for all she could.  
  
"Of course." Kat answered.  
  
"Let's go to Voodoo then!" Connor answered.  
  
"But it's closing in ½ an hour." Nikki pointed out. It was already 2:30.  
  
"Well, I think that they'll stay open for a 'private' party if the owner says so now won't they?" Connor stated with a self satisfied smirk.  
  
"Since when do you own Voodoo?" Kat asked, surprised.  
  
"Since about a month ago. It was for sale and it seemed to make sense for a Tiger to own it when it's in our territory."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me C? Why have I been paying for my drinks like a dumbass."  
  
"Kat, you never pay for drinks. Don't gimme that." Connor laughed.  
  
"I pay every once in a while." Kat laughed back.  
  
"Well, not any more you don't. My girl doesn't pay to drink at my club."  
  
With that they all piled into their cars and many other racers followed them, knowing that there would be no party at the Toretto's after the night's events. Dom would be in a sour mood about his car troubles. 


	52. White Blond Hair stained Red

Chapter 51 – White blond hair stained red.  
  
Leon took himself home, just seething about what he'd seen at races. Kat sure hadn't wasted much time picking up a new man. It had driven him to chat up a few ladies at races. His heart hadn't been in it and thus he was driving home alone. And that made him even more angry with things. Why hadn't he just been able to pick a girl and take her home? He'd never had trouble doing it before.  
  
Before Kat.  
  
He played devils advocate with himself and answered back that he'd driven her to it with his insecurity and mistrustful attitude. He'd really messed up again. Kat wasn't 'the flavour of the week'. She was the kind of girl that you really never got tired of because she never stopped going, never settled down. She was wild and crazy and he loved that about her. She could be so sweet and caring too. But Kat was also fickle and self centered.  
  
Plus Leon liked and respected Dom. And he also owed Dom a lot. Dom had given him and Jesse a spot to stay when they had nowhere else, and a family to be part of when they'd had no one.  
  
Kat and Dom couldn't get along. He'd gotten the cliff note version of what Kat had said to Dom at races, the threats she'd made against Letty, a woman that Leon also truly cared for, the mean things she'd had to say about Dominic, a man Leon truly respected and admired.  
  
It had tossed him into turmoil. Much as he really thought that he and Kat could have had something great his first loyalty should be to Dominic. And while Leon knew that Dom would not stand in his way if he wanted to be with Kat it would strain Leon's relationship with Dom because Dom and Kat could not be around each other.  
  
There was also the issue that when he looked into himself he didn't see how to love Kat unconditionally. No matter how he thought about it he was still angry and didn't know how to not be angry with her over all she'd done. He couldn't see his way into trusting her not to hurt him. He still had to wonder if she was lying to him or scheming him or someone on his team in some way.  
  
Despite her redeeming qualities, and there were a lot of them, she was still immature and a spoiled brat. Not all the time but quite a bit of the time. Much as people made excuses for her, Leon knew she'd have to grow up on her own. She wasn't going to change unless she wanted to. She was use to getting her own way in everything and could be both childish and dangerous when she was thwarted out of getting what she wanted.  
  
While Leon thought he paced around the bottom floor of the house. He couldn't sleep with all the things that were on his mind. He walked into the small living room they had set up downstairs and paced around the coffee table. He hadn't turned on any lights and all the basement windows were contained by the bedrooms of the three men who lived there so the living room was enshrouded in pitch black darkness. Leon paced by memory of the room.  
  
"Leon, is that you?" A softly feminine voice called from the hallway's mouth into the room.  
  
"Yeah Nys. It's just me." He called back softly, hoping not to wake up Vince or Jesse.  
  
"Why are you still up and walking around in the dark?" Nyssa asked as she entered the room fully and switched on the lamp on the coffee table, illuminating her face and the soft pink tank top and shorts she'd worn to bed.  
  
"Can't sleep." Leon answered and sighed.  
  
"Why not?" Nyssa asked and sat down on the couch, legs tucked up under her.  
  
"Kat." Leon didn't think he'd need to say more.  
  
"Why is Kat keeping you up? She's not here." Nyssa was deliberately obtuse, hoping to force Leon to speak about his situation honestly.  
  
"She doesn't have to be. She's never far from my mind lately. I can't believe she showed up with that guy. On the day we fight she shows up with another guy." Leon growled and ran a hand through his already dishevelled hair.  
  
"Is that what's bothering you? The fact that she was with another guy tonight?"  
  
"Yes. Well, no. Not exactly." Leon huffed. "It's the fact that he'd have me believe she had meaningful feelings for me but then the second we have a fight she finds another man."  
  
"What if I told you to think about that guy, what he looked like? He should look familiar to you." Nyssa vaguely tried to help Leon figure out the mystery of Kat's new man.  
  
"He should look familiar to me?" Leon honestly thought about it. When he realized where he knew the tall man from the realization spread across his face. "It was her friend Connor." Nyssa just smiled softly at him, confirming his guess.  
  
"So she was just showing off, trying to make me jealous?" Leon asked Nyssa like she had all the answers, even though as far as Leon knew Kat and Nyssa had never met.  
  
"Not exactly I don't think. But perhaps it did enter her mind. I believe that, while she might have told herself and her friends different, she needed the emotional support of having people think she has other men waiting to be with her. No matter who you are you don't want to think you'd have troubles picking up a date." Nyssa giggled. Leon chuckled back but then his face turned pensive again.  
  
"She's just so selfish." Leon ground out. "She needs a pick-me-up and instead of doing something to just pick herself up she does something that makes me look bad and hurts me at the same time."  
  
"She told me something and at first it didn't make sense to me but then as I got to know her it slowly fit together." Nyssa started to try to explain the situation to Leon. She was having trouble finding the words to explain what she wanted to say. She knew that Leon needed Kat. She also knew that in a lot of more important ways Kat was going to need Leon. Need him and her life might depend on it.  
  
"Wait, you've been speaking to Kat? When?" Leon looked at Nyssa in confusion, than as realization washed over his face his green eyes snapped in anger.  
  
Shock then guilt passed over Nyssa's expressive face as she realized what she had given away.  
  
"So she did lie about that to me too. It was her you were speaking to. God damn it! I was right anyway. I really can't trust her. She'll lie about any god damn thing. That little bit..."  
  
"Leon!" Nyssa exclaimed, cutting him off and she wasn't happy about what she'd almost heard.  
  
He looked at her in shock.  
  
"Sit down!" She pointed at a chair and Leon threw himself into it with an angry sigh, staring at Nyssa petulantly. "What do you really know about Kat?"  
  
"Lots. I know she's childish and immature. I know she's selfish and infuriating. I know she loves to play stupid mind games and she's never serious, she's just out to have a good time and it doesn't matter at whose expense." Leon was getting angry with Nyssa, for making him think about things he'd rather not think about.  
  
"What about the things you don't know?"  
  
"Such as what? There can't be that much I don't know about her. She's so shallow, there's not a lot of hidden depth there."  
  
"Oh really? How about how she covers up her insecurities with a brave act she can hide behind? She tries to have a good time now because she's scared she'll never have a later. She does everything to extremes because she's scared she'll never get another chance to do any of it. Look at how she's lived!"  
  
"You don't know anything for sure, all you know is what she told you! And she uses her past as an excuse for everything."  
  
"I know lots she never had to tell me!" Nyssa raised her voice, concern for those who were sensibly still in their beds now sadly lacking. "And some frightening things she did tell me."  
  
"Like what?" Leon asked like a petulant child.  
  
"Like she asked me if I thought heaven had a ghetto for one."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Leon looked puzzled.  
  
"That she thought about killing herself and she wondered if she'd end up back in the ghetto of heaven if she did." Nyssa lowered her voice again but it was still filled with her emotions. Anger and sadness, bitterness and helplessness. "She was scared that after just getting out of her bad neighbourhood if she died she'd go right back for eternity.  
  
Leon looked up from his lap in shock and got half out of his chair. "She told you she thought about killing herself."  
  
"Yeah, she did. Why is that a shock to you? You think she's so horrible so why is that so hard to believe?" Nyssa tried to rub it in to Leon how wrong he could be.  
  
"It's not hard to believe because she tried before so I know she has it in her to do it." Leon had turned slightly white under his tan, worried that Kat would try again to end her life.  
  
No matter how mad he was with Kat the thoughts of all the life being gone from her beautiful green cats eyes as they vacantly stared out of her too pale face, the freckles her tan hid most of the time standing out in sharp relief against her bloodless skin, her life's blood in a pool around her, her white blond hair stained red with it, her cherry red lips gone blue in her death, her infectious laugh silenced forever, her talented body never moving in a sultry dance ever again, never attempting seduce him or make him laugh again. The thoughts of it all made him want to retch. He gagged with it. He felt physically ill.  
  
"She did!" Nyssa's face mirrored the shock that must be telling on his own face. "Did she tell you that?"  
  
"No, she told Vince." Leon admitted sadly. "I never gave her any reason to trust me with her secrets. I had to find out from Vince."  
  
"What did she try before?"  
  
"Slit her wrist in the bathtub." Leon answered and tried not to hyperventilate with the horrific image still in his mind. "Do you think she'll try again?"  
  
"No." Nyssa was sure Kat wouldn't. It was one of those things she knew, but she knew how serious Kat had been about it at the time.  
  
Leon sighed in relief and sat back in his chair, eyes closed as his body went limp with relief. "So she feels bad about what she did."  
  
"No, she feels hopeless that no one understands her and that you made no effort with your relationship with her at all. You told me you'd been trying but you hadn't. Not really."  
  
"How do you figure that?" Leon asked defensively.  
  
"You asked her back out then you never called, never spoke to her, never made any effort at it at all, like you thought she should do all the work because you were still looking at the whole situation like she had something to make up for, something to prove to you."  
  
"And she told you all this stuff?" Leon was again getting angry with Kat for trying to turn one of his friends against him.  
  
"Yes and no. I had to pry some of it out of her and some of it I just know. And I know you don't really know Kat." Nyssa looked saddened by this fact.  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm beginning to wonder if it's much of a loss."  
  
"The answer is yes."  
  
"What makes the answer yes?" Leon snapped.  
  
"Do you really want to know?" Nyssa's eyes hardened.  
  
"Yeah, I asked didn't I?" Leon felt like he'd had too much info dumped on him at once already, and it made him angry, but he had to know what Nyssa thought was so important.  
  
"You don't know she's a dancer."  
  
"Ha! Yes I do." Leon smirked. He knew how she could make him think of nothing else but her, him and a dark room with a large bed with a simple dance, all with the look on her face and the way she moved her lithe body. Nyssa might be able to make him feel like an ass with other information but not that Kat was an effective dancer.  
  
"No you don't. You know she likes to shake her ass in clubs. That's not dancing Leon. That's booty shake. She might be good at it but it's not dancing. She use to dance ballet. And she was good. Like American Ballet Theatre good."  
  
Leon looked slightly shocked at that tidbit of information. Nyssa continued.  
  
"And not only that, but when she was worrying about her friends getting killed or getting killed herself in gang violence or at her school she also went most days after school to help her ballet instructor teach the little girls ballet too. For free on her own time. Because she said those little girls living in the 'hood deserved to know they were beautiful and graceful. Because they deserved to have beauty in their lives and that fact didn't change just because they couldn't afford to go if they didn't get the lessons for free. Because she knew first hand those poor little children needed a constructive activity and a safe place to go. Because she watched the struggle that everyone, every race in the ghetto lived every day. Because she likes kids."  
  
Admiration for Kat was obvious on Nyssa's face. She wasn't done with Leon at that time either.  
  
"You don't know she had to make sure that no one knew how good she did in school because she was sure if anyone knew she got really good marks she'd never be spoken to again because it wasn't cool. You don't know how she was on the A squad cheerleaders because she thought her school needed spirit and she wondered if she could make a difference by trying to be a leader. You don't know how much she loves her friends. You see the closeness I'm sure but you don't see the fact she almost took a bullet for one of them with no concern for her own safety because she loves them all SELFLESSLY."  
  
Nyssa emphasised the last word carefully and as she finished her tale her pretty eyes filled up with tears that spilled over and ran down her cheeks. She continued in a voice choked with emotion over what she knew Kat had been through. Nyssa didn't know how anyone as young, who'd had such a messed up life, was able to put on an upbeat attitude most of the time. She was about to impart the most heartbreaking part of her knowledge to Leon.  
  
"You don't see how she thinks everything that was good and beautiful inside her is dead. You don't know what she went through to end up that way."  
  
But Nyssa did and simply knowing it was almost more then she could bear. She didn't know how Kat had lived it, let alone went on and lived her day to day life.  
  
"Why don't you fill me in since you have all the answers?" Leon asked snidely, all the things that were being pointed out to him hurt. He could tell they were true. Nyssa shouldn't know, but she did and it wouldn't do him any good to question the whys or wherefores. But he didn't have to be happy about it.  
  
How upset Nyssa was over the whole situation gave him a sick feeling in his gut about what Kat had been through that he didn't know about. He fully believed Nyssa when she said Kat figured everything beautiful and good inside her was dead. Nyssa looked like she was at the point of retching herself and Nyssa didn't get that upset easily. She was pretty easygoing and it took a lot to really truly upset her or anger her.  
  
"That's not my story to tell, not that any of it really is, but I'm not going into what she's seen and what she's done. If she decides you should know someday then she'll have to tell you, or you could ask her about her past and honestly want to know and see if she tells you. Just know that she carries more guilt on those slim shoulders then the guilt of this whole team over 'the incident' and why don't you throw Dom's guilt over what he did on top too."  
  
Leon sighed. Nyssa drove onward, seemingly not caring that she was breaking Leon's heart with all the important details he hadn't known about a woman he claimed he had real feelings for. He'd never bothered to ask her to really tell him anything. She'd fed him pleasantries and he'd lapped them up because he hadn't wanted to know the real truth. She'd asked him all about his crappy childhood and cared when he'd told her things hadn't been great. Then she'd fed him the Disney version of her own life and because ignorance was bliss he'd just let it drop and moved on.  
  
"You don't see the fact that she's never had a serious relationship before because she is the girl all the bad guys want. And they see her like you do. Someone who's just a down ass bitch. They don't see the real her."  
  
Nyssa wiped a trailing tear off her cheek and ploughed on.  
  
"You don't see how much she misses her mom. How hurt she is she never knew her dad. How her love of cars is because she's trying to find some small part of her dad in herself. How her mom always told her how great her dad was and how sad he was that he had to go away. How Kat could never talk about him around her step dad or brothers."  
  
"You don't know that she had a drug problem for most of the last 5 years of her life, how easily it could happen to her again. How close she is to having an alcohol problem now. How fast her life is spiralling out of her control."  
  
It was all making Leon realize that he really hadn't taken the time to try and truly get to know Kat. And reminding him how very young she was. She was almost Nyssa's age but she hadn't had the benefit of a relatively stable home for most of her life, not like Nyssa had. He looked up from his lap and met Nyssa's bruised pansy eyes.  
  
"You don't know where her tattoos are." Nyssa giggled, thinking about the whimsical nature of some of Kat's tattoos.  
  
"Yeah, she has a tiger cub on the small of her back." Leon retorted. He knew some things. He wasn't going to let Nyssa get away with thinking he didn't.  
  
"She does, but she also has a tiny little GT-R logo tattooed on the back of her hip and a pair of toe shoes on her foot." Even Leon had to smile. He had to hand it to Kat. She loved her car more then he did if she'd branded herself with the logo.  
  
"The simple fact of the matter is Leon, she's been like a motherless child lost for the better part of the last 5 years."  
  
Leon went to interject a comment and like she knew what it was Nyssa held up a hand to cut him off. Of course, Leon mused, she likely did know what he was about to say anyway.  
  
"You're going to say that everyone uses that excuse for her and she lets them. But when everything you love gets ripped out of your hands and you live in fear every day that the rest of what you have will go the same way, what else can you do? Besides, who was supposed to teach her how to act different? Was she supposed to raise herself? She was being cared for by people who were barely more then children themselves, most of whom had no frame of reference for how 'normal' family life was."  
  
"I know that."  
  
"I just want you to think about the fact that what you know about Kat is the bare surface of the real girl. You basically know what everyone knows. You never took the time to learn the deep stuff. You skimmed the surface. I'm not saying she doesn't have flaws. She does. But so does everyone. I just don't understand why you're trying to hold someone like Kat up to some impossibly perfect standard. She's far from perfect. But you wouldn't expect to find perfection in any of us, why is it you expect Kat to be so perfect? I just don't understand. Why can you forgive me so easily for what I did to Vince? He's your friend and he's been your friend longer then I have. I really hurt him and it was all my own fault. Buy yet you've forgiven me. You haven't forgiven Kat for what she did and until you do the two of you have no future." Nyssa finished on a sad little sigh and all the fight and energy seemed to leave her, like it had taken all she could give to discern what she had about Kat and impart it to him and now she had nothing left to give.  
  
"We don't have one anyway. We're too different. We're from two different worlds and I don't think it's going to be practical for us to be together anyway."  
  
"The best things in life aren't practical Leon. The best things are frivolous and fun. They're rare and treasured. Special." With that Nyssa stood up and slowly walked back down the hall after switching off the lamp, leaving Leon sitting in the dark with his equally black thoughts. What an appropriate metaphor for his life, Leon thought as he trudged up the stairs and out into the sultry heat of the California early morning air.  
  
AN: I hope that this chapter makes everyone who was pissed off with Kat understand her a bit more. I've almost made myself cry with this one so I hope it hits everyone with the emotional punch I hope it does and helps people understand why Kat is the way she is a bit better then you have up till now. Even though I knew it was a false alarm all along every time I saw that chapter title it made my stomach fall...Anyway, review please. Peace, Tempest. 


	53. The Past Becomes the Present

Chapter 53 – The Past Becomes the Present  
  
AN: Fantasy sweetie, you know that Drama I was making you wait so (not) patiently for? Well, enjoy...You're all gonna hate me, wmahahaha! This is about where the ride gets really bumpy. Twisted, who is now Scorching...Welcome back! Review please everyone.  
  
Kat came home from Connor's around 4am. She tried to go to bed but she couldn't sleep. It felt like someone was tip toeing in her mind, stirring up her memories, things she'd rather leave locked in the recesses of her mind, things she didn't want to think about. It was unsettling. Not to mention Sean wasn't home and she hadn't seen him since races. No, she reminded herself. That wasn't quite true. She'd seen him at Voodoo for a time but he hadn't gone to Connor's afterward. She got up and went to the window of her room.  
  
She crawled into the window seat and stared out at the moon. She tipped her head back against the wall and allowed herself the luxury of a few quiet tears.  
  
"Mom, what should I do?" She asked. But there were no answers forthcoming. "I need you so much!" The tears came freely then, coursing down her face in moon gilded trails of silver. No one, heavenly body or otherwise designed to answer her heartfelt questions.  
  
*~*  
  
Leon looked up at Kat's house and thought he saw a shadowy face in the window of Kat's room. He convinced himself he must be imagining things and sat back down on his porch, staring up at the moon.  
  
*~*  
  
Kat finally fell into a fitful sleep around 5am. It felt like no time later when she was being shaken awake. Her eyes blinked open to confront the person who dared to wake her the morning after a party.  
  
"What do you want Stacy? I didn't get to sleep till 5am." Kat rasped.  
  
Stacy sat on the side of Kat's bed.  
  
"It's like 5pm now Kat. I think that's lots of sleep. We were getting worried. Aren't you hungry? You're too thin, even for you. I can't hardly remember the last time I saw you eat anything."  
  
"Yeah, I am hungry, now that you woke me. Where's Sean and Kale?" Kat chose to ignore the comment on her weight. Stacy was right, she hadn't been taking care of herself properly and she knew she had to start.  
  
"Kale's downstairs. I was hoping you'd know where Sean was. He never came home with you last night?"  
  
"No. Connor drove me home around 4. Sean wasn't around Connor's. I just figured he came home from Voodoo instead of going back to C's."  
  
"Nope. I haven't seen him since Voodoo, but he didn't come back here." Stacy looked puzzled.  
  
"Well, maybe he just met a girl or something." Kat grinned and sat up in bed. She'd be happy for her friend if that was the case.  
  
"Yeah, maybe. Well, get up and take me out for supper." Stacy laughed and tugged the blankets away from Kat to try and force her into getting up.  
  
"'Cuse me?" Kat asked in mock anger.  
  
"Ya heard me. Make me supper or take me out somewhere for it." Stacy chuckled out. Kat slowly reached up behind her head like she was stretching but grabbed a pillow off her bed and hit Stacy in the face with it.  
  
"Take that!" She laughed as she continued to hit him with her pillow.  
  
"Oh it's on!" Stacy called and pounced. It took him a minute to get her pinned down but he managed and started to tickle her into laughing submission.  
  
"I give! I give." Kat gasped out after a very short time of being tickled.  
  
"Good to see you know what's good for ya." Stacy said as he released Kat and let her up.  
  
"Whatever. Get out of my room so I can get dressed." Kat started to push her friend to the door.  
  
"Ok, but hurry, I'm hungry now!" Stacy whined as he allowed himself to be shoved out of the room and watched the door close in his face.  
  
Kat got dressed after taking a quick shower, wonder about where Sean was heavy on her mind. He never did stuff like disappear without telling someone where he was. He always let one of them know. So that if he didn't come home by the time he said he would someone could go searching for him. It just wasn't like him to just up and take off for days at a time. If he wasn't home soon then Kat would really be worried about where he was.  
  
She tied her wet hair up into a messy ponytail and left her room. She looked sort of scruffy chic in a worn pair of white denim shorts with rainbow coloured inserts along the side seams and a black hoodie over a black tank top. She slid her feet into a pair of platform flip flops and noticed that her feet were losing all their calluses from her lack of practising her dance. She noted with a grimace that if she ever put her toe shoes back on it was going to hurt. A lot.  
  
She ran lightly down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. She didn't see either Stacy or Kale.  
  
"Guys? I'm ready!" She called out, heading toward the back of the house. "Guys?"  
  
She walked past the door to the dining room on her way to the kitchen. Someone grabbed her from the darkened dining room.  
  
"Gotcha!" Her attacker yelled.  
  
"ARGH!" Kat screamed and started to fight to get away.  
  
She was abruptly released by a laughing, gasping Stacy.  
  
"Man, you should see the look on your face!" Stacy laughed.  
  
Kale joined him in laughter from deeper in the dining room.  
  
"It was pretty priceless."  
  
"I'm going to dinner alone. No way am I going with a couple of dirty, low life..." Kat began to rant.  
  
"We're sorry!" Stacy looked immediately contrite. "It was just a joke. Don't make us fend for ourselves in the kitchen. Please?"  
  
"Yeah Kat, you know we'll burn the house down or poison each other. You can't let us loose in the kitchen baby girl. You know what happens then." Kale pouted at her.  
  
Kat's chin came up.  
  
"Maybe I don't care. I'm so scared by what you two did to me."  
  
"It was just a joke baby. Come on girl." Stacy tried to win Kat over.  
  
"Don't baby me. You scared the life outta me."  
  
"I'm sorry." Stacy said.  
  
He wasn't sorry at all and Kat could tell but the look on his face while he tried to pretend he was sorry was so funny that Kat cracked up laughing.  
  
"Come on, let's go eat." She headed for the front door.  
  
"That's my girl!" Kale called and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her by wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her up so their heads were at a similar height, leaving Kat's feet hanging a good 8 inches off the ground.  
  
"Put me down." Kat laughed.  
  
Kale didn't comply and Stacy opened the door with a flourish and Kale carried Kat out through the open door and set her down beside the Eclipse.  
  
"I take it one of you is driving then?" Kat asked. She didn't really want to anyway.  
  
"Sure." Stacy answered and slid into the driver's seat. Kale slid into the back seat, leaving the front for Kat. She got in and they left.  
  
By the time they got home it was dark outside. It was around 9pm. Kat's mood had improved over diner while she'd been joking and kidding around with Stacy and Kale. Stacy always had the ability to pull her out of bad moods.  
  
Kat pulled her house keys out of her pocket and struggled to get the front door open. As the lock tumbled over and she shoved the door open she heard the phone ringing incessantly from inside the house.  
  
"Hold your horses!" She called as she raced for the phone before whoever was on the other end gave up on them. "Shit! I'm coming. I'm coming." Just in case it was Sean, whom she assumed still was not back due to the fact that no lights were on in the house and there was no sign of him yet. She heard the guys close the front door as she snatched up the phone.  
  
"Hello?" Her voice came out high and breathless from her dash to the phone.  
  
"Do I have the girl they call Kat?" A strange, accented male voice asked, disembodied over the telephone line.  
  
"Yeah, I'm Kat. Who's this?" Kat asked, puzzlement warring with fear on her face. The Voice was accented in tones of Kat's past and it scared the hell out of her.  
  
"I'm the person who has your friend Sean." The Voice laughed.  
  
"What do you mean you have Sean? Who is this?" Kat raised her voice as she asked.  
  
"I should be hurt you don't recognize my voice Ð¼Ð¾Ñ Ð´Ð¾ÑÑ[1]."  
  
Realization started to don on Kat. She had a fairly good idea who was on the phone.  
  
"What do you want with Sean Ð¾ÑÐµÑ ÑÐ°Ð³Ð°[2]" Kat snarled into the phone.  
  
Stacy and Kale had picked up on the general aura of anger around Kat and the fact that someone had just told her they had Sean. But they didn't know what the strange language Kat was speaking was and they didn't understand.  
  
Kat had hoped the day her past would find her would never come. She'd been so careful when she'd run away to hide her tracks. She'd changed her name, never spoke of her family using their real names. She didn't know how Sergei had found her but since he had she was going to have to deal with him. Her step dad made Connor look like a pussy cat.  
  
"What I wanted when you took off on us you Ð¼Ð°Ð»ÐµÐ½ÑÐºÐ°Ñ ÑÑÐºÐ°[3]. I have a client most interested in making your acquaintance."  
  
"That was 5 years ago. Why show up in my life again now?" Kat growled.  
  
"Because you messed up a deal I had planned and when you did you threw a lot of my hard work out the window Ð¼Ð¾Ñ Ð¼Ð°Ð»ÐµÐ½ÑÐºÐ°Ñ Ð´ÐµÐ²ÑÑÐºÐ°[4] and now I have a chance to put things right."  
  
"What do you want from me?" Kat asked. She had a sinking feeling she knew where Sergei was going with his diatribe.  
  
"I want you to surrender to me and in exchange I let the man you call Sean go free."  
  
"I'm not going to..." With a look at Stacy and Kale, who were watching her on the phone she again switched into Russian. "Ð´Ð°Ð¹ÑÐµ Ðº Ð²Ð°Ð¼ ÑÐ°Ðº, ÑÑÐ¾ Ð²Ñ Ð±ÑÐ´ÐµÑÐµ Ð¼Ð¾ÑÑ Ð¿ÑÐ¾Ð´Ð°ÑÑ Ð¼ÐµÐ½Ñ Ð² Ð´ÐµÐ»Ðµ[5]"  
  
"Then I will have to kill this man." Sergei retorted. "Then I will hunt you down and take you anyway."  
  
"ÐÐ¾Ð»Ð¶Ð½Ð¾ Ð±ÑÑÑ Ð´ÑÑÐ³Ð°Ñ Ð´Ð¾ÑÐ¾Ð³Ð° ÑÑÑÐ°Ð½Ð¾Ð²Ð¸ÑÑ ÑÑÐ¾[6]" Kat implored. "I have a new life here. I've left my past behind. Surely after 5 years there is nothing about me to interest anyone now. I'm not a little girl anymore." Kat was starting to get hysterical.  
  
"My partner, the very one whom you caused Ð²Ð°Ñ Ð±ÑÐ°Ñ[7] to let down saw your pictures in some ÐºÐ°ÑÑÐµÑÐ°[8] about fast cars or some nonsense and recognized your face. He is very much still interested in you and willing to end Ð²Ð¾Ð¹Ð½Ð°[9] that your disappearance caused. You will come to me and I will let the large man you call Sean go."  
  
"I." Kat didn't know what to say. She knew what would happen if she gave in to his demands. But she also knew if she didn't her step father was just the man to go through with what he said. He would kill her best friend.  
  
The man to whom she owed her life.  
  
Her rock.  
  
Her Protector.  
  
Her Brother.  
  
She didn't know what to say to the man on the phone with her. She wanted to tell him to go to hell. She wanted to tell him to tell her where to show up if he'd just free Sean unharmed.  
  
How was a girl to decide between her free life and her innocence and the life of her very best friend? Her brother.  
  
"Ð¯ Ð¿ÐµÑÐµÐ´Ð°Ð¼ Ð²Ð°Ð¼ 20 4 ÑÐ°ÑÐ¾Ð² Ð´Ð»Ñ ÑÐ¾Ð³Ð¾ ÑÑÐ¾Ð±Ñ ÑÐµÑÐ¸ÑÑ. Ð¯ Ð±ÑÐ´Ñ Ð²ÑÐ·ÑÐ²Ð°ÑÑ Ð²Ð°Ñ ÑÐ½Ð¾Ð²Ð° ÑÑÐ¾ Ð²ÑÐµÐ¼Ñ Ð·Ð°Ð²ÑÑÐ°. ÐÐ¼ÐµÐ¹ÑÐµ Ð²Ð°Ñ Ð¾ÑÐ²ÐµÑ Ð³Ð¾ÑÐ¾Ð²ÑÐ¹ Ð´Ð»Ñ Ð¼ÐµÐ½Ñ Ð¿Ð¾ÑÐ»Ðµ ÑÑÐ¾Ð³Ð¾.[10]" Sergei hung up without waiting for her to reply to his ultimatum.  
  
Kat dropped the phone out of her lifeless fingers. She stood beside the phone table and just shook with a vacant look on her face. Her step father had found her. He knew where she lived, he'd found her phone number. He knew how important Sean was to her.  
  
He had Sean.  
  
She had to run. She had to go on the run again. It was the only thing that entered her mind. If she ran away, like into Mexico or Cuba her step father wouldn't be able to find her. She could build yet another new life for herself.  
  
Then she looked into the faces of Stacy and Kale, standing in front of her, looking so concerned and shocked for her. And for Sean.  
  
"What's going on Kitten? Who was that?" Stacy asked.  
  
"Kitten, what's wrong?" Kale asked and moved closer to Kat, to comfort her.  
  
"He...He...Oh my god. He has Sean." She gasped out and crumpled to the ground. "He has Sean." She wailed.  
  
"Who does Kitten? What language were you speaking?" Stacy asked. Kat talking in a foreign tongue had bothered him more then anything. It sounded so strange coming from Kat. He hadn't known she spoke anything but English and a bit of high school Spanish.  
  
"My step father has Sean. And that was Russian. My step dad is Russian." Kat sobbed out.  
  
"Why does your step dad have Sean?"  
  
"Well, you know why I told you I had to run away from home? About how my brother Josef was involved in the Russian mob?"  
  
"Yeah, and he wanted to give you to a bad man." Kale filled in.  
  
"Yeah, right. Well, I guess my running away messed up a big deal for him and caused a mob war within the Russian mob. My brothers and step father have been fighting this war ever since I ran away. Then the guy I was supposed to be sold to saw me in those magazines and recognized me. Then he told my step dad if he could get me back and give me to the original man then everything would be forgiven and the war would be over."  
  
"How does Sean fit into this whole thing?" Stacy asked.  
  
"My step dad knows how much you guys mean to me and he had the chance to grab Sean would be my guess. He says that Sean goes free and unharmed if I turn myself over to him. He wants a decision by this time tomorrow."  
  
"Well, what are we gonna do?" Kale asked. "We should call Connor. He'll have some ideas what we can do to get Sean back."  
  
"We're not gonna call Connor. I'm gonna give myself to them. If I don't they'll kill Sean and I won't have it. I just won't. If I give myself to them then Sean goes free and no one gets hurt." Kat stood up. "It's all that I can do. I'll let Sean go free."  
  
"Kat you can't do that. Sean wouldn't want that. There must be a better way!" Stacy shouted. "I won't have it Kat. You can't give yourself to some asshole for the rest of your life. You don't know what he'll do to you."  
  
"Stacy. I brought you guys into a situation you had no call to be involved in. These guys are bad news. They're the worst of the Russian mob. High up the ladder bosses. There's nothing that Connor can do against that kind of firepower."  
  
"I won't let them take your life from you either Kat." Stacy pleaded.  
  
"You guys gave me the best 5 years I could have asked for. You gave me my dream. I got to race my car in the best circles and I could have been the best if I'd gotten to keep going. I had your love and care. I had a real family. I'll be able to hold that 5 years in my heart and I'll survive whatever life throws at me now. I'll find a way to escape and by then Sean will be back with you guys and you'll all be safe. I'll get free and run to Mexico or Africa or Japan. Somewhere that my step dad has no reach."  
  
"Kitten, we can't let you do that. There must be a better way. Don't do it." Kale implored.  
  
"I have to."  
  
And with that Kat took off for the front door. The two men were so startled they didn't have time to catch her before she was out the door and running off down the road on foot.  
  
----------------------- [1] My daughter [2] Step father [3] Little bitch [4] My little girl [5] Give myself to you so that you might sell me in a deal [6] There must be another way to settle this [7] Your brother [8] magazine [9] The war [10] I will give you 24 hours to make up your mind. I will call you at this time tomorrow for your answer. 


	54. Broken Hearted Fools

AN: Yeah, the Cyrillic messed up. So people the funky stuff is Russian but FF.net doesn't know it, LOL. It's done in the Russian alphabet because I couldn't find a translator that would translate English into Russian using the English alphabet. So sorry 'bout that.  
  
Chapter 54 – Broken Hearted Fools  
  
Stacy and Kale ran to the front door but by the time they looked up and down the street the inky blackness of the night and the rain that had been threatening all evening and was now pouring down had swallowed Kat up.  
  
"Shit. We gotta find her." Kale said, looking up and down the street frantically.  
  
"We got no chance of catching her on foot. You take the Supra, I'll take the Eclipse and we'll go looking for her. You go up the street and I'll go down. If we find her we'll call each other on our cells."  
  
"I don't have a better plan." Kale answered and headed for the Supra.  
  
Both men took off looking for Kat.  
  
*~*  
  
As soon as Kat's brain had computed what she was going to have to do escape for some time alone to think was the only thing she could focus on, so she took off running. She never even thought of the car. In her panic the only thing that occurred to her was to get away as fast as she could. Plus she'd known the guys would have an easier time finding her in the Skyline.  
  
She hadn't known it was pouring rain out though. It had only been a grey, overcast evening, threatening at rain when they'd gotten home but sometime while she'd been on the phone the angry sky had opened up and was dumping a deluge of rain down on the LA streets.  
  
Kat ran for as long as she could. It was a pretty long time and she maintained a pretty good speed while she ran. When she stopped running she doubled over from the pain in her side and just how out of breath she was.  
  
She was also freezing cold and soaked clear through. She started to slowly walk along the deserted roads of suburban LA. Her clothes stuck to her wetly and her hair hung in limp hanks all down her back and over her shoulders.  
  
The rain disguised the tears coursing down her cheeks. At least, she thought, no one would stop thinking she was crying and try to find out what was wrong with her. She had no idea where she was walking and she didn't much care.  
  
All the guys had ever done was take care of her and try to give her what she needed. And now thanks to her they were all in danger. Sean most of all. She knew the guys would go down protesting her plan but the only solution she saw was to give herself to her step dad and let him do what he would with her. If she knew Sean was safe then she could live with whatever else Sergei threw at her.  
  
Her guys had given her 5 years of freedom. 5 years of love. She couldn't repay that by getting them involved in a situation they couldn't handle and couldn't come out on top of. Sean was tough and he could take care of himself. He was smart and he was used to violence, just like all the guys were. But her step father and people at his echelon of the mob played in a different league then Connor and the Tigers.  
  
The Tigers were the most feared gang in LA. They were badass, they ran organized crime in South Central LA. That was nothing to sneer at. But when it came to the MOB they didn't compare. It was the MOB for fuck sake, Kat thought. There was no way her and her team could take on the MOB.  
  
Maybe if they had some way to get more help then just the Tigers. If they could get some faction of the Russians on their side or even if they could get the Russian Mafia to help them. Or if they had a connection to the Italian Mafia. But all those people wouldn't help for no reason. They'd want something and Kat had nothing to offer that people of that ilk would want. She couldn't just approach them and say 'Hey, my stepfather is a top echelon boss in the Russian mob and he has my friend Sean. Help me get him back pretty please?"  
  
It didn't work that way. They'd want her to work for them, boosting cars or something in return for her help. If they found out how good a shot she was they might even want her to be an assassin or hit man and she couldn't live with that. The only viable solution was to turn herself over to Sergei in a public area and make sure that the guys got Sean to safety.  
  
She looked up from the ground, where she'd been watching her feet displace the rain water from puddles as she walked and realized she had no idea where she was. The rain was still coursing down in great sheets that hit her in the face almost like a slap. She could hardly see three feet in front of her through the driving rain and her own wet eyelashes.  
  
She kept plodding along, following the sidewalk, unwilling to go back to her house and watch the guys make plans to save her. Plans she knew would ultimately fail and just result in Sean getting killed and maybe them too. She'd go home just in time to catch her step dad's next call and tell him she'd agree to his plan only if Sean went free and got to leave safely with the guys before he touched a hair on her head.  
  
She sighed. For such a relatively young person she sure had a lot of regrets.  
  
She wished she'd tried to find her real dad like she'd planned on when she'd first run away. She might have lots of family out in the world that she'd never met.  
  
She wished she'd put more effort into her dancing because she knew her mom would be disappointed with her for abandoning it. Her mom had always said that a talent like hers was a gift and it shouldn't go to waste. But then again she was talented at racing too and she didn't think she could do both racing and dancing full time. But she knew she could have put more effort into keeping in shape and practicing more.  
  
She wished she'd lived a better life. Wished she hadn't done a lot of the things she'd done that hurt others. She wouldn't let herself go into great detail on the eve of the last day of her life as she knew it but she'd done a lot of really bad things to people. Most of them were bad people, but they were bad to her because they'd been on other gangs. So that meant that while they were bad to her they might have been just like her guys to someone else.  
  
She wished that she'd gotten to know Leon in every way a woman could know a man. Then she'd have memories of how it was supposed to be between a man and woman to hold in her heart while she was being used as a slave by some Russian Mob boss.  
  
She regretted that almost most of all in a life full of things to regret. If she had a to do list for the last 24 hours of her life, do Leon would be right at the top of the list. And that though made her smile briefly. She'd likely never see Leon again and that was also likely for the best. No need to involve his team in the shit going down with hers. If the Tigers didn't roll in the same circles as her step dad then the Toretto's really didn't.  
  
Next on the list would be find a really straight stretch of road and see just how fast she could push the Skyline before it gave up. She'd always wondered what the top speed for it was tuned like it was. According to Nissan it was 160 mph the way the car came from the factory. Kat would like to beg to differ with them on the top speed of her Nissan. She'd bet it was closer to 250 with NOS if she had enough road to get it up there. But now she'd never know.  
  
The odds of the man who'd own her by the next evening letting her keep her car were slim to nil.  
  
She became cognizant of the fact she was sobbing at that point. She figured she had been the whole way, but she hadn't noticed till then. She was going to be owned by someone. She knew that she'd fight it and whoever this guy was would try to break her. She wondered how long it would take before all the good memories she'd be holding in her heart would be eradicated by the abuse she'd be subjected to and she'd just give up her will to live.  
  
If she couldn't escape, that would happen.  
  
Kat had never prided herself on being a realist. She knew she lived in her own little version of reality most of the time. It was a good way for a girl like her to live, most of the time. But she figured that the situation she was in now was as good a reason to discover reality as any. There was no sense trying to sugar coat what was going to happen to her, not even to herself.  
  
She had more spirit then any one girl deserved to and the kind of person who would barter people in a business deal would enjoy every second of taking every little bit of spirit from her till she was a meek, timid, cowering shell of the person she'd been before.  
  
She figured she'd kill herself first.  
  
She realized she was walking up to a bridge over a river or waterway of some kind. The water was teeming, violent, stirred up by the tempest LA was being hit by. She'd heard they were in for a tropical storm and it seemed the weatherman had been right for once. The wind was howling mad, slashing rain every which way and the night was uncommonly black. Even the street lights did little to lift the gloom of the night.  
  
Kat walked out to the highest point of the bridge and peered over into the teeming water. She noted the railing was about as wide as a balance beam.  
  
She'd done lots of practicing on the beam. Kat wondered what Sergei would do to Sean if she was dead and couldn't show up to give herself to him. If she'd died in some freak accident surely he'd let Sean go. And if she got up on the rail and did her best to keep her balance, say from the highest point where she was standing at that moment, to the other side of the bridge, then it was sort of like letting fate decide for her. If she fell then that was how it should be and if she didn't then that was how it should be. She could give it a try either way. She kicked off her flip flops and stood bare foot on the wet pavement.  
  
She placed both palms down on the rail and pushed up, lightly lifting her feet off the ground, keeping them together and pointed in proper form. She hung off the side like that for a moment, testing the strength of her arms, and waiting for the proper techniques to come back to her. Then she swung her leg over the rail and sat straddling it for a moment, and then with her hands cupping the edges of the rail she again pushed up and got her feet under her. She stood, one foot in front of her, toes pointed straight ahead. She was in a slight crouch for balance and had her arms to her sides.  
  
The wind tried to knock her off one way or the other but she kept her balance and started to compensate her movements for the winds pressure on her body.  
  
She took two dip steps and then did a variety of leaps, landing in place, getting more into it as the movements returned to her mind.  
  
She did some ballet movements on the 'beam'. She had her eyes closed and the score to Swan Lake was playing in her mind. She wasn't in the driving rain in her mind. She was on stage, dancing the role of Odette. The stage lights were hot and bright. She forgot she was cold. She couldn't see anything but the lit areas of the stage, the rest of the room she was in was just a black blur. She knew her mother would be so proud of her. And in her mind her real father was sitting with her mother in the audience watching her dance. She landed a particularly hard jump and stumbled for a moment, cursing herself for getting out of practice. Because of her fantasy she didn't remember she was in a tenuous position on the railing of a bridge. 


	55. Wishes Do Come True

Chapter 55 – Wishes do Come True  
  
Leon was heading home from a long drive he'd taken to get away from his team and get some time to think on his own.  
  
He'd been trying to work out some of his feelings about Kat. He was slightly farther ahead then he'd been when he'd left the house.  
  
He knew he wanted her in his life, and he'd decided that if he could have her he could put the anger aside once and for all. Now he just had to tell her about it, about all his thinking and hope she'd still have him. She'd said once he had his issues figured out to let her know and they'd see. He had his issues sorted out so he hoped she was willing to at least discuss the situation with him.  
  
Nyssa was right; being angry with Kat wasn't worth losing her from his life over. He'd realized that thoughts of her with any other guys made him even more angry. His heart had known she was meant to be his girl, even when his head hadn't been willing to let him see it. Once he'd, as Nyssa liked to say, 'listened with his heart' it hadn't been hard to see that holding onto his anger over what she'd done wasn't doing either of them any good.  
  
It was making them both miserable. The best things in life weren't practical. But it was practically impossible to figure out how to live without them.  
  
He knew that there were still things to work out, like how she and Dom were going to be around each other without Kat going in for the jugular kill and Dom not throttling Kat, but surely if they both knew how important it was to him they'd find a way.  
  
He finally understood why Vince had been so angry and easy to irritate when Nyssa had been gone. When you found that special person it was obvious to you and it made it impossible to figure how you'd go on without them. He was as happy as he'd been in days once he'd admitted that he wanted Kat. It was like a whole weight had been lifted off him. And he knew Kat needed him too. She didn't trust enough, didn't know when to take it easy, when to ask for help. He knew he hadn't given her a lot of reasons to trust him, but he was going to change that. He wanted to be the one she turned to, the one who took care of her. He knew that because of her unusual upbringing she was going to be a bit more responsibility then other girls might turn out to be. But he knew she'd make up for it with her sunny, spunky personality and the way she was so honest about how she wanted him.  
  
On that thought he realized he wasn't sure where on the road he was. He slowed down with a muttered curse as he worked to control the slight skid his car had gone into. The damn weather was absolutely horrid. The rain was pouring down, the night was as black as a sinners soul and the air was uncommonly cold for California. He recovered his traction despite his tires being made for speed not wet performance and slowed down a bit more.  
  
He was having trouble seeing the road through the blinding rain. His wipers made a rhythmic slap slap slap against the windshield as they tried to keep the window clear. Even on the highest setting they were losing the battle against the water that was pouring down on the city, like heaven itself was crying. Leon couldn't remember the last time it had been so cold or wet.  
  
When a flash of lightening hit he saw enough of the scenery to figure out where he was. He knew he should be coming up on a little bridge to cross back over to his own area of the city but he couldn't see it. He slowly rounded a corner and the bridge came into his line of sight. He thought with a chuckle that him driving slow was like an oxy moron but that was just how bad the weather was. He didn't dare drive any faster. The rain had come out of no where. Lightening hit again and thunder rumbled.  
  
He'd just started across the bridge when he realized there was a person up on the railing. He stopped the car with a squeal from the wet brakes and watched as what looked like a young girl did a cartwheel then a back flip up on the rail. He wondered what she was doing up there. She was going to fall into the water and then she'd die because the current and undertow was serious business in this stretch of water. He pulled the car over and hopped out of it into the blinding, slashing rain. He had no more desire to get out of his car in the rain then he did to watch the little girl plunge to her death.  
  
He paused to watch the girl for a moment. He couldn't help himself. She was beautiful in her movements. So graceful and controlled. He watched her do some sort of jump and land on the railing. Then she stumbled and almost fell, to the side of the water not the concrete road. She recovered and began to move again. The driving rain blurred her features and made the color of her hair impossible to discern. He was fascinated by her, the way she moved. She bent over backwards, placing her hands on the rail behind her, causing her back to arch, then she kicked her lower body over to stand back up as he watched. It was almost hypnotic to watch the girl move. She was magical in her poise. Her movements were lyrical.  
  
Then a particularity violent gust of wind slashed rain like little pinching fingers at him, like it was telling him to snap out of it and get the child down before she fell. Beautiful or not, she'd never move that way again if she fell over the side.  
  
Man it was freezing out. All he had on was a tank top and a pair of jeans and he was already soaked through. He couldn't imagine how wet and cold the little girl on the rail of the bridge must be. All she had on were a pair of short white shorts and a light hooded sweat shirt. Where the heck were her parents, letting her out alone on a night like it was? He walked faster, scared he wouldn't reach her in time to get her off before she fell.  
  
When he was within shouting distance he called out to the girl.  
  
"Hey, you shouldn't be up there! Are you crazy? You're gonna get blown over the side!"  
  
She looked up in shock and Leon continued to her side, where he was startled to be looking into the green gaze of the very woman who'd been on his mind, not a little girl at all. She dismounted the rail and stood looking at him, gaze unreadable. She'd yet to speak to him. It was like she didn't really know him at all, but in his anger at her for being so foolish he didn't really notice.  
  
"What the fuck were you thinking Kat? If you'd fallen in that'd be the end of you. No one could save you from that water!" He walked closer to her.  
  
He noticed the crazed look in her eyes, the extreme trembling of her limbs, and the goose bumps on all her exposed flesh. She didn't answer him, it was like she couldn't. He didn't see her car anywhere, and he wondered what she'd been thinking going out in the weather they were having dressed like she was.  
  
"Jesus Kat, how'd you get out here? Where's your car?"  
  
"I ran here. I don't have a car." Kat finally answered and she didn't even sound like herself. She sounded scared and younger then Leon knew her to be.  
  
"You ran here? From home?"  
  
She nodded, shaking.  
  
"That's like over an hour worth of running." Leon was still shouting. "What's gotten into you Kat?"  
  
Leon couldn't understand what would make Kat do anything so foolish. She reached out as though to touch his face and touching her finger tips to his cheek she spoke. It was like she'd needed to make sure he was real.  
  
"He took Sean." She whispered and then as the trance she'd been in mostly wore off and then, as the evening's events hit her square in the solar plexus she doubled over in an emotional pain. She slowly hit her knees and threw her head back. She stared up into the wide open sky. Her hair swung back over her head in a sodden mass, throwing water into Leon's face. "Why! Why'd he have to take Sean? I don't know what to do!" And she broke down into racking sobs, wrapping her arms around herself.  
  
"What do you mean he took Sean?" Leon asked as he hit his knees in front of Kat on the soaking road.  
  
"My step father found me and then he took Sean." Kat answered, finally looking at Leon.  
  
Leon realized how messed up Kat was, and how cold she was. She wasn't talking sense at all. He didn't know what she was talking about. He scooped her up before she could protest and carried her back to his car, setting her inside. He ran around and got in, turning up the heat full blast. He started to drive. He didn't understand a damn thing that was going on, he just knew that Kat was out of it totally.  
  
"I'm gonna ruin your car. I'm soaked." Kat almost whimpered, watching with fascination as rivulets of water left her clothes and hair and started to soak into the fabric seats of the Skyline.  
  
"Don't worry about my car. The car will be fine. You need to get warm."  
  
"Where are you taking me?" Kat asked, her teeth chattering as she quaked, curled up into herself in the bucket seat.  
  
"Home." Leon told her.  
  
"I don't wanna go home. I can't. I can't go back there yet." Kat started to retreat into her own world again, she started to become panic stricken.  
  
"You need to go home. You need to get warm and dry before you get sick." Leon told her. She had to get out of her wet clothes and he'd be willing to bet her friends were worried about her.  
  
"I'm not going home." Kat yelled and went to open the door, planning on jumping out of the moving vehicle.  
  
Leon locked the doors from his controls just as she would have had the door open and Kat started to frantically claw for the lock mechanism. She only knew she wasn't going back to her house yet. Her house where two of her best friends were trying to make a plan to save the third, and she knew it was hopeless. If she had to go back there the despair would just crush her. She had to stay away till it was time for the call if she wasn't going to go completely insane.  
  
"Don't do that Kat." Leon implored. He grabbed Kat's arm, trying to keep her with him and out of her panic. He looked from her to the road and back again quickly, wanting the eye-contact with Kat but knowing it wasn't a good time not to pay attention to the road.  
  
"Don't make me go home yet." Kat countered. She couldn't take it. She'd go out of her mind.  
  
"You can come to my house and we can get you warm there then ok?" Leon would do just about anything at the point he'd reached just to keep her calm. If she didn't want to go home then he wouldn't make her. He wouldn't make her do anything that was going to upset her more then she already was. She was in a mood so strange Leon had no desire to add to it in any way.  
  
"Ok, but only if I don't have to see your team." Kat answered, still shuddering, teeth still chattering but she stopped trying to find the door lock.  
  
"I should be able to make sure you don't have to." Leon answered and was glad the stairs to the basement were close to the back kitchen door. He glanced over at Kat and even in the murky light from the instrument cluster he could tell her lips were turning blue and she was shivering.  
  
He picked up the pace, even though he knew he shouldn't be driving as fast as he was with the weather the way it was he wanted to get Kat someplace dry and get her warm before she ended up with hypothermia. He watched as she shivered and shook and sobbed.  
  
"You wanna tell me the whole story Kitten?" Leon asked softly in his calmest voice. He thought maybe if she talked it out she might calm down some.  
  
"I don't want to think about it right now." Kat answered in a whisper.  
  
She was clearly terrified and that scared Leon more then a lot of other things would. Kat had been scared in his presence a few times but never terrified. But she was literally petrified of something as she sat in his car, struggling not to break down totally and succeeding for the moment.  
  
The rest of the drive to his house was mostly silent. He did reach over at one point and take Kat's hand in his own, holding her small hand against his tight and she didn't fight him or take her hand away. She'd just sighed and tipped her head back into the seat and closed her eyes. Holding her hand was like holding ice.  
  
Leon pulled into his driveway and got out of the car, walking around it to help Kat out. She stood up out of the car and promptly started to fall down again. Leon caught her and just picked her up in preparation of carrying her into his room. She'd never been heavy but she was even lighter now then she'd been the last time he'd picked her up. He worried about what they're fighting had been doing to her even as he worried about what ever she'd been going on about back at the bridge.  
  
"So cold." She chattered out.  
  
"I know baby girl. I know you are. Help me out here and I'll get you into the house." Leon implored and was relieved when she complied with his request and rapped her arms around his neck. "That's my girl." He reassured her and started for the back door. The rest of the team was in the living room watching movies so if he headed straight down to his room with Kat he should be able to have her into his room before anyone knew he was home.  
  
He opened the back door as quietly as he could and closed it the same way, then started down the stairs, carefully carrying Kat to his room. He set her down on her feet beside his bed and turned on the light. Kat looked like death warmed over. Her hair was lank and knotted down her back and her cloths clung wetly to her skin. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying and she'd lost her shoes back at the bridge. He almost cried for her when he took in her appearance as she stood soaking wet, bare foot, shaking and crying in the center of his room. He was about to find her something to change into when he heard a knock at his door.  
  
"You need to be quiet ok?" Leon asked.  
  
Kat didn't really answer but Leon thought maybe she was starting to get dozy from the cold so he didn't really worry she'd start talking to whoever was at his door. He moved to answer the summons, worried about who it could be. 


	56. The Kitten Becomes The Kat

AN: Here is one of 'those' warnings people. This is R rated. A lot. I tried to tone it down as best as I could because I don't want to stop posting it here. This was as tame as I could make it without it losing some of the points I want it to make. I'm going to warn you right now that this chapter would be a good one to skip if talk of sex and the act of sex between two consenting adults is going to offend you or bother you. I'd rather people skip a chapter then get offended or upset, ok? There's lots of cute/funny stuff too though. That said, onto the chapter I think we all knew I was building up to anyway. Boy is my face red with the thoughts of posting this...And don't forget to review.  
  
Chapter 56 – The Kitten Becomes the Kat  
  
Leon went and opened the door a crack. Nyssa was standing in the doorway.  
  
"You ok?" She asked. Her eyes showed her worry for him clearly.  
  
Leon mused if she only got a look at Kat she'd be all over the other girl like a mother hen on her eggs. Much as Nyssa would only mean well Leon figured that was the last thing Kat needed.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
  
"How'd you get so wet?" Nyssa asked, clucking over his soaking clothes and wet hair.  
  
"Walking from the car to the house. Man, it's really coming down out there." Leon forced a laugh.  
  
"You sure you're ok?" Nyssa asked again, and like always Leon could tell she somehow knew more then she was letting on.  
  
"I'm fine. I'm gonna make it an early night though." Leon answered and with a nod Nyssa headed back up the stairs. Back to Vince. Leon knew they still hated to be apart for any length of time. He knew how they felt.  
  
He turned back to Kat, who was just standing shakily where he'd left her with her arms wrapped around herself in a sad little hug shivering.  
  
"Ok, we gotta get you out of those wet clothes before you get a cold." Leon started toward her and watched as she tried to get her zipper undone on her hoodie. Her fingers were so stiff and cold she couldn't get them to work.  
  
"I can't get it open." Kat looked up at Leon. "I can't do anything right." And with that she started to cry again. Her head hung down and her posture could only be described as dejected.  
  
Leon pulled her against him and started to rub his hands up and down her arms, having her change forgotten for the moment. He just wanted her to feel better. He thought he'd take on all her troubles if she'd just smile for him again.  
  
"Shhhh. It's gonna be ok. I'll help you out." He set her a small distance away from himself and undid her zipper for her, peeling her wet sweater off her quaking form. "See." Leon tried to reassure Kat as he resumed his rubbing motions on her bare arms, trying to warm her up. He was concerned to note her lips were still blue. "Ok, the rest of it's gotta go too. You're like an ice cube."  
  
Kat actually managed a small smile for him and lifted her arms, waiting for him to peel her tank top off her. He complied, struggling to remember that she'd been through some sort of ordeal that had driven her to dance on the railing of a bridge and that he really shouldn't be thinking about the fact he was about to see her bare breasts for the first time, since it was obvious she had nothing on under her top.  
  
Once he had her top off her he pulled her back against him so he wouldn't have to see her laid bare to his hungry gaze. He'd been waiting forever to be with Kat but he didn't want to be with her when he'd think he was taking advantage of her. Knowing she was standing trustingly in his arms almost naked after all he'd put her through was one of the most humbling experiences of his life. He kissed the wet crown of her head softly and rubbed her bare back, trying to share some of his warmth with her.  
  
He should have planned things out better so that he'd have had a shirt or something of his to give her, he thought. But it was too late to worry about it then, the damage had been done as it were.  
  
And Kat wasn't standing stiff in his arms like she had been at first. She'd leaned into him and buried her face in his chest. But she was still shaking and her skin was still cold and clammy to his touch.  
  
He quickly helped her out of her soaking shorts and then thought for a second. The only way he could think of to get her warm quickly was for her to take a hot shower. That decided he opened up the door to his room and peered down the hall. The whole bottom floor was empty and dark, everyone was still upstairs.  
  
He turned back to Kat and found her just standing where he'd left her. He really needed to know what was going on. Kat was acting like she'd retreated into her own mind and wasn't really aware of her surroundings at all. All he knew was her stepfather had her friend. He just had to get the rest of the story. It was like she was moving between the world where he was with her and her own world in her head where whatever she saw was slowly driving her insane.  
  
Kat was beginning to become aware of what had happened. Leon had found her somehow and brought her to his house to get her warm. And boy was she cold, she thought with a shiver. She vaguely remembered helping Leon remove her clothes.  
  
And with that she realized that she'd been given the chance she wanted. The chance to find out what making love to Leon would be like before she gave her life away to save Sean. So it was like her request at the bridge for guidance had been answered. Fate was giving her the chance she wanted and helping her cross number one thing to do in the '24 hours before the world ends' list off.  
  
"Come on Kat." Leon said in a soft voice, trying to keep her presence secret and keep her calm at the same time. "I'm gonna put you in the shower so you can get warm." She nodded her compliance and started his way. She stumbled and he leaned forward and caught her. Sweeping her up into his arms he carried her down the hall carefully toward the bathroom.  
  
Kat figured she could have walked but she wanted to enjoy the feeling of Leon holding her close. He set her down on the closed toilet seat in the bathroom and started the shower.  
  
When he was satisfied that the temperature of the water was neither too hot nor cold he turned back to Kat.  
  
"Ok, in you go."  
  
Kat could tell he was trying hard to keep his distance from her. She didn't know if it was because he didn't want her anymore or because of his worry but she decided she had to play it to her advantage. She stood up and forced herself to stumble again. She didn't have to try too hard. Her cold and overstressed legs really didn't want to cooperate with her brain anyway. All that running coupled with the jumps, flips, and leaps on the bridge had really done a number on her muscles.  
  
"I can't do it. I'll fall." Kat whimpered.  
  
"I guess it wouldn't hurt me to get warm either." Leon answered, trying to figure how he was going to keep his hands to himself if he got under the shower spray with Kat. He didn't see a way around it and stripped off to his boxer shorts and go into the tub. Then he leaned out and lifted Kat's slight form in with him.  
  
When the hot water hit Kat's cold skin she sucked in a sharp breath. She hadn't known how cold she really had been. The water wasn't all that hot but it felt like it was burning her, her skin was so cold. She let out a small moan.  
  
"What's wrong?" Leon asked, concerned.  
  
"The water's so hot." Kat answered softly.  
  
"Not really. It'll get better soon." Leon looked down at Kat, seeing the rivulets of water running over her light brown skin, seeing her ribs, slightly defined abs, small but firm and perfectly shaped breasts crowned with small, dark pink nipples, pebbled from the cold. He looked further and took in her tiny waist, gently flared hips and thighs, her dainty ankles, and tiny feet.  
  
Kat noticed his wandering gaze and realized whatever reason he had for not wanting to be close to her it wasn't because he didn't want her anymore. She licked a drop of water off her lower lip and Leon watched the motion of her little pink tongue with more interest then he'd given to anything else in his life for a long time.  
  
Kat allowed her own eyes to roam, taking in the perfection of Leon's tanned, muscled chest, narrowness of his hips, the chiseled perfection of his abs, the way the water plastered his hair to his head. She leaned closer to his warm body and took the one step that was necessary to bring them into contact. She tipped her face up to look him in the eye.  
  
"Kat..." Leon started to say something to her. She placed a finger over his lips to silence him, knowing instinctively that he was going to protest. He thought she didn't know what she wanted, thought she was just traumatized. She knew she'd been waiting her whole life for this moment. She wanted it and she wanted him. She wasn't taking no for an answer.  
  
"Kiss me Leon." She implored, parting her lips and leaning fully against him.  
  
How could he say no? He asked himself but a split second later he had his arms around Kat's waist while he gently brushed her mouth with his own. She let him play at softly kissing her for about 30 seconds before she got impatient and ran a hand into the hair at his nape to pull his head down to hers to deepen the kiss herself.  
  
He responded to her with a moan and let his tongue sink into the welcoming heat of her mouth. She made a noise in the back of her throat that sounded almost like a purr. With a growl he released her mouth and started to follow the path of the water down over her neck and shoulder.  
  
She threw her head back, offering him up greater access with blithe abandon. It was what she wanted. She noticed that she no longer felt cold then Leon's hot mouth closed over one of her already pebbled nipples and sucked on it gently.  
  
She let out a soft cry and arched into his caress. She'd never felt anything like Leon was making her feel. She didn't understand it at all but she knew she never wanted it to stop. He moved on to suckle her other breast and Kat almost thought she might pass out from the intensity of what it made her feel and how good it was, how perfect. How much like home it felt to be in his arms.  
  
After a moment of that torture Leon released her breast and kissed his way back up her neck to claim her mouth in another drugging kiss. She returned his kiss with equal fever, then nipped at the corner of his mouth gently. He growled at her playfully. She moved on to nip at his collar bone and then licked the place she'd nipped. She loved the taste of his skin.  
  
Kat allowed her hands to wander over Leon's body. She started with his shoulders, exploring them as they kissed. Then she moved her hands down over his chest and stomach. When she ran a finger along the waistband of his boxers he growled back at her.  
  
Leon felt like he was about to explode. He wanted to back Kat against the wall of the shower and just lose himself in her, but something inside him still rebelled against it. He released her mouth and leaned against her, panting against the side of her neck, needing a second to get some control of himself.  
  
When he was slightly more in control he cut the water. He thought, wryly, that they could have been in a cold shower at there at the end of their time under the water and they still would have been making steam.  
  
"Is something wrong?" Kat asked, shyly, having realized fully that she was naked but for a pair of thong underwear in front of the object of her desires, who wasn't much more clothed then she was.  
  
"Nothing's wrong. But we were gonna turn into prunes if we stayed in the shower any longer, plus I'm not known for spending hours in the shower." Leon grinned at Kat and she blushed, taking his hint that he needed hours to do what he wanted to do to her. Leon stepped out of the tub, desire evident through his wet shorts and picked up a big, fluffy towel. He reached into the tub, wrapped Kat in the towel and lifted her out of the tub.  
  
She looked up at him with desire shining in her eyes and he kissed her again. She leaned into him again and kissed him back with both wanton need and something else Leon couldn't quite put his finger on.  
  
"We should get dried off and get back to your room." Kat said then looked shyly down at a point between Leon's pecs. He laughed. She was impossibly cute when she was embarrassed. He'd never believed he'd see his Kitten embarrassed.  
  
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Leon hadn't wanted to get involved with Kat in a sexual sense when he'd brought her back to his room. He thought on it for a moment and realized that maybe she needed the comfort she'd get from being with him. And since he wanted to be with her, and not just for the night he decided he didn't need to feel guilty about it. It wasn't taking advantage if he didn't do it just to do it. Since he wanted to be with Kat that night and every night there after it couldn't be taking advantage.  
  
Kat unwrapped the towel from around herself and briskly started to take the water out of her hair as she watched Leon towel off in the mirror. He caught her staring and did a little more of his own. She realized what he was doing and grinned at him like the Cheshire cat, her teeth almost impossibly white in her tan face.  
  
While she knew she had his attention she put one leg up on the toilet seat and started to dry it off slowly, playing with him. He groaned when he realized what she was up to. She finished drying herself off and he watched her from his position, leaning against the vanity, expression unreadable but body clearly aroused.  
  
When she was dry she turned around to face him, still practically naked.  
  
"I need a hair brush or I'll never get the tangles out of my hair." She tried to sound sexy while she said it, but she wasn't sure if she pulled it off or not. It had occurred to her if she didn't brush it out she'd end up cutting it all off. She didn't know why she cared when it wouldn't matter in the least by the next evening but she did care.  
  
"You can use mine." Leon offered and handed her his brush.  
  
Kat walked to the mirror and started to work the tangles out of her hair. It was very long and badly snarled along its whole length from her time in the rain. She knew it was going to take a while for her to finish.  
  
"This is gonna take a while, do you want me to finish in your room?" Kat looked at Leon in the mirror, he was standing behind her and his reflection appeared over her left shoulder.  
  
"Yeah. That'd be good." Leon answered and his voice came out even gruffer then usual. The sight of Kat doing something as routine as brushing her hair made him want her even more and he didn't understand. He'd never seen a woman who wasn't perfectly made up and prepared for a night of fun. All the race skanks came around already as perfect as they could make themselves. Of course the fact he was watching her as she stood in the mirror naked didn't help either. But she was just standing in the bathroom brushing her hair. She had no perfume on, no makeup, her hair was a mess, and she smelled like his soap. But she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen standing there like she was. She was just her, she wasn't trying to be more then she was for him. He didn't think she knew how. How wrong he was.  
  
"Ok." Kat said and turned to face him. "We should have thought to bring some clothes." Kat giggled at the thought of the two of them dashing almost naked down the hall to Leon's room.  
  
"Damn. I hope everyone's still upstairs." Leon reached the same mental image as Kat just had and chucked too. "Well, we can't stay in here all night hoping no one needs the bathroom."  
  
A playful urge Leon couldn't ignore got a hold of him and after checking down the hall to be sure the basement was otherwise unoccupied he swooped in on Kat, grabbed her around the waist and picked her up. She let out a startled whoosh of air and then threw her head back and laughed softly as she wrapped her legs around Leon's waist and her arms around his neck for balance.  
  
"Silly boy." Kat laughed.  
  
"Yeah, you love it, don't front." Leon laughed back and walked almost naked down the hall to his room with his almost naked playmate still clinging to him giggling.  
  
"Yeah, I know I do, but you're still silly."  
  
"I was gonna take that brush from you and brush that hair for you but now I don't know..." Leon said as he closed the door of his room, shutting them into their own little world of lamplight and rumpled sheets.  
  
"Oh pretty please?" Kat pouted up at him from the spot on the bed he'd set her on. "My arms are so tired from all my flips and it's hurting them to brush my hair. It's so long."  
  
"Well, ok then. Since you twisted my arm." Leon relented with a small smile.  
  
"Yay!" Kat exclaimed softly and clapped her hands softly.  
  
"Ok, here, lay down like this." Leon had her lay across his bed with her head at the edge and her hair hanging down the side. He sat on the floor behind her and picked up the brush. He started to pick the knots out of the ends first and worked his way up toward her head.  
  
Her hair smelled like him, a result of her using his shampoo in the shower, he figured, but he liked it. She smelled like his woman. A few minutes later he was running the brush from the crown of her head to the ends of her hair.  
  
"Um, that's so good." Kat moaned. "No one ever brushed my hair for me before."  
  
"Yeah, well, I heard that Kat's like to get stroked." Leon chuckled.  
  
"Yeah we do. When we say, how we say, where we say and for however long we say." Kat giggled back.  
  
Leon came up on his knees so he could look into her face, albeit upside down.  
  
"So where should I pet you first?"  
  
"Don't most cat's like tummy rubs?" Kat asked playfully.  
  
"I don't know, you tell me."  
  
"I think they do. I never had a pet so I don't really know, but I'd like to think that, as a Kat, I would like a tummy rub." Kat grinned even as she blushed at her forward speech.  
  
"You never had a pet? Not ever?" Leon asked as stood up and then sat on his bed beside Kat. He looked down at her lying in his bed, almost naked. Beautiful, slender limbs in an insolent sprawl, hair streaming down the side of the bed. His bed. His girl in his bed. He liked the sound of it. He reached out and ran his fingertips down one smooth cheek of her face, down her neck, across the prominent column of her collar bone and then down the arm closest to him on the bed.  
  
Kat licked her suddenly dry lips.  
  
"Not ever. There was never time at home. My mom always had me rushing off somewhere and she was in the same boat. And when I wasn't rushing after her she was still too busy to take care of a pet. Then even as a kid I knew that living with my brothers wasn't a good life for any sort of defenseless animal. Then when I got to LA, it just didn't seem right to keep pets in the ghetto either." She reached up from her supine position with the arm closest to Leon and trailed her fingertips down over his cheek, his neck, the center line of his chest and down his tight stomach before letting her arm fall.  
  
Their eyes met and Leon leaned down slowly and captured Kat's next exhaled breath with his own swift intake of the oxygen that being in her presence seemed to rob him of. He slid his hands under her back and sat back up, taking Kat with him into his lap. She ran her hands into his hair and played with the now dry, silky strands at the nape of his neck while she let him lead the kiss. He was keeping it soft and gentle, brushing her lips with his while his hands stroked her back softly.  
  
Kat reveled in the feeling of his chest pressed against the sensitive peeks of her breasts. She'd never known how sensitive her nipples could be, and how much pleasure she could derive just from contact with his body. It was a startling revelation.  
  
She had feelings flowing through her she hadn't even known had existed. There was a, almost like a tightness in her stomach, like her body was waiting for something she didn't understand. She felt tingly in all the places she wanted Leon to explore that he had yet to do so. Places no one had ever touched but she found herself hoping he would.  
  
Leon moved to sit against the head of his bed and bent his knees up, setting Kat in his lap leaning against his bent legs. She leaned back against his legs and let her head drop onto his knees. Seeing her like that was almost more then he could take and stay sane. He ran his hands up her arms, across her shoulders and down to her breasts, cupping the pale mounds on her otherwise tan chest. It seemed that the girl with no shame had enough not to prevent tan lines. He smiled at the thought, and was glad the lack of shame was an act and that her lack of modesty right that moment was because of her comfort and trust in him, not an overall comfort with nakedness.  
  
"You are so beautiful." He said softly.  
  
Her head came up and she looked deep into his eyes.  
  
"Not really, but thanks all the same. You're not so bad yourself." She admitted with a smile and cupped his cheek in her hand, her eyes shining softly.  
  
"No really, you're perfect. Your skin is so soft and beautiful. Your neck is so graceful and slender. Your arms are perfect. Your," Leon struggled for the right word for to use for breasts to a woman you were beginning to think you were in love with. He figured the correct term was the only way to go. "breasts are perfect. You are the perfect woman, perfect." He smiled.  
  
"I'm too skinny. I'm too flat chested, I look like I'm about 16, I'm too tanned, I have freckles in places there should not be freckles, my hair's too white, my nose turns up at the end and I have crooked teeth." Kat finished running down her flaws, fully expecting Leon to agree with her or at least realize he'd over looked all those flaws.  
  
"You're a bit skinny but I think if I just start feeding you chocolate and whipped cream, and maybe cherries we can work on that, your chest is beautiful the way it is, you'll never look 16 to me. You have a nice tan, it's pretty dark really but it suits you, your hair is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen and I use to have these dreams about how it would wrap around me when we..." He trailed off, embarrassed to be saying these things but knowing they had to be said. "Your nose is cute and I don't see any crooked teeth."  
  
"They're right here." Kat pulled her bottom lip down and showed Leon where one of her bottom eye teeth was slightly crooked compared to her front tooth.  
  
"That tooth is so close to straight that it's just cute that it's like that."  
  
"Well then, you have a gorgeous smile, you have beautiful eyes that I like to lose myself in, you have the most perfect body I've ever seen. And your tattoos are prettier then mine." Kat finished.  
  
"That reminds me of something." With that Leon moved and flipping her over, he had Kat face down on his bed in a flash.  
  
"What are you doing?" Kat asked, very curious, but willing to trust where Leon was going with his gymnastics.  
  
"Looking for something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Someone told me you'd branded yourself with the Skyline logo and I just have to know." He chuckled and started to pour over her back and hips, looking for the infamous tattoo, kissing his way along as he looked.  
  
"Oh god! Who told you that? I did that when I was 16. I was much sillier then and we don't talk about that tattoo anymore." Kat admitted and blushed crimson, enjoying the searching if not the over all search.  
  
"So it's here somewhere?" Leon asked with a deep laugh.  
  
"Yes." Kat answered with her face buried in his bed sheets "It's there somewhere..."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Well what?" Kat mumbled out around a mouth full of bed.  
  
"Where? I don't see it."  
  
"There's a reason for that. I don't show it to people." Kat answered, still into the mattress.  
  
"Well, you've shown me pretty well everything else. Show me. Come on." Leon teased. "I'll show you the scar I got when the dog bit me when I was 14 if you show me the tattoo." He cajoled gently, trying to entice her into showing him.  
  
Kat turned her bright red face to the side to look at Leon.  
  
"Where's the scar?"  
  
"It's embarrassing enough to make up for where ever this tattoo is." Leon hedged.  
  
"Alright, but I don't know why this is such a big deal." Kat reached behind herself and pulled down the right side of her underwear. And underneath the hip strap was a tiny but distinct GT-R just like on the grill of her car.  
  
"No shit!" Leon laughed. "You really did it. Ok, you love your car more then I love mine. I've never considered branding myself for life with the logo. I never thought I'd find another living person who loved the GT-R more then me but I bow to your Skyline dedication."  
  
Kat rolled onto her back, more comfortable with her nudity every minute she was around Leon that way. She felt like they were really getting to know each other.  
  
"Out with this scar."  
  
"You don't really want to see that do you?" It was Leon's turn to blush. Kat found it endearing that he did so.  
  
"Oh yes I do. Where is the scar from where the dog bit you when you were 14?" Kat cocked one eyebrow questioningly. "I showed you mine, now show me yours." She tipped her head to the side and waited expectantly.  
  
"Alright." Leon sighed and stood up. Kat looked at him, wondering where this scar was. "You realize that no one knows about this? Not even my team. This is so embarrassing." He sighed.  
  
Standing beside the bed with his back to her, he dropped his boxers and revealed his butt to Kat's startled gaze. "It's on the left cheek." He admitted with a resigned sigh. He hadn't counted on just how embarrassing it would be to show her his bare ass and have her look for the scar on it. It didn't take Kat long to pick it out.  
  
"It looks like a happy face." Kat tried not to laugh. It was very hard not to. It looked like it had been a painful wound but the only the dog's canine teeth had pierced the skin on the upper jaw, but on where the bottom teeth had hit the canine teeth as well as the incisors had punctured making a slightly crescent shaped curve of a scar. She coughed to cover her laughter. She fell back on the bed and gave up.  
  
Leon looked at her sprawled in the middle of his bed laughing at his unfortunate scar. A scar almost no one had ever seen. She looked up, tears running down her face and gasping for breath. He got an evil glint in his eye. He was going to tickle her senseless. He wondered briefly how this night had become more about getting to know her and playing with her then making love to her. But he decided just as quickly it didn't matter because he couldn't remember the last time he'd spent with a naked girl that he'd enjoyed more.  
  
Kat saw the look in Leon's eyes and got scared about how he was going to get revenge.  
  
"I thought your tattoo was cute, but you laughed at my scar? From what was a fairly painful and mentally damaging wound I might add. Big dogs still make me nervous."  
  
"I'm sorry but it's like you have a h..h..h..hhhapppyyy face on your b..b..b..butt." Kat gasped out around her laughter. "I bet it d.dd.ddid h..h..hurrrt though." She tried to make a sympathetic face. She didn't manage while she tried to stop laughing hysterically and gasping for breath.  
  
"Not as much as this is going to." Leon said with a mock serious look on his face and fell on Kat, going for her ribs and beginning to tickle her.  
  
"Stop. Please. I'm so sorry." Kat gasped and begged as she struggled and squirmed to get away.  
  
"Are you really sorry?" Leon asked, still tickling.  
  
"Yes. Yes. I'm really really sorry. It's not that funny."  
  
"Ok. Thank you for admitting it's not funny." He stopped tickling her and rolled off her, lying on his side, head on his hand looking down at her where she lay sprawled in the middle of the bed again.  
  
She looked up at him and smirked.  
  
"I didn't say it wasn't funny, just that it wasn't quite as funny as I made it out to be." Kat giggled at the look on Leon's face.  
  
"You played me. You told me it wasn't funny then you took it back."  
  
"Did not! My exact words were it's not that funny." Kat smirked.  
  
"I should tickle you again for this." Leon threatened.  
  
"I can think of a few things I rather you did." Kat admitted and as much as she wanted to break eye contact with Leon she made her self hold his gaze.  
  
"Like what?" Leon asked, voice husky with his suddenly returning desire.  
  
"Oh, I don't know..." Kat got embarrassed and tried to dance around the issue.  
  
"Sounded like you had some pretty distinct ideas to me." Leon teased.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't say distinct." Kat answered. She didn't have any concrete ideas past a certain point. Her limited experience had been a few fumbling kisses from boys in high school and the passionate but brief encounters she'd already experienced with Leon.  
  
"Well, what if I was to kiss you just here?" Leon asked and leaned down to kiss the spot on her collarbone he'd touched.  
  
"That'd be a good start." Kat sighed.  
  
"So if I licked you just here," He paused to lick on of her tight pink nipples "that might be an ok second step then?" He smiled as Kat squirmed at his caress.  
  
"I'm not sure about that. You might have to do it again while I make up my mind." She answered coyly.  
  
"If you insist." And with that he fully took her distended nipple into his mouth and suckled on it gently at first then a bit firmer.  
  
Kat moaned low in her throat and her back arched off the bed even as her hands made there way into his hair to hold his head in place.  
  
"Ummm." She made a few incoherent noises of pure pleasure as his mouth trailed from one breast to the other.  
  
"So did you make up your mind? Is that a good second step?"  
  
"Umhum." She answered wordlessly with her eyes closed.  
  
"Well, what should be third?"  
  
She opened her eyes into slits and gave her shoulders a feline shrug. Leon wondered at the soft play of muscles under her skin.  
  
"You're doing so well on your own I'd hate to tell you what to do now." She said softly.  
  
"Well, if it was up to me to decide I guess I might kiss you again now, and maybe surprise you too. Would that be ok?" For some reason he didn't want to rush her. He felt an urgency but he pushed it back. He didn't know why but he wanted to take things really slow.  
  
She nodded yes. He leaned in and captured her mouth with his. Her mouth opened under his and his tongue darted in to meet hers. When his tongue retreated into his own hers followed it and softly explored his mouth.  
  
Her almost timid caress, like she wasn't use to kissing back made him groan. He ran his hand from just under her breast where it had been resting to her stomach and traced the line of her panties on her lower abdomen.  
  
Kat broke their kiss and started to nibble down his neck. Then she licked where she'd nibbled. She found his earlobe and bit it gently. It made him groan. She ran her hands up his back and reveled at the play of muscles as he tensed and relaxed over her.  
  
"I guess then it might occur to me that I'm at a distinct disadvantage." Leon panted out.  
  
"How so?" Kat asked in an equally out of breath voice.  
  
"I had to drop my draws to show you my scar but you only had to move yours aside. You're still half dressed."  
  
"I wouldn't go half dressed..." Kat retorted.  
  
"Well, it's time to even out the playing field." Leon smiled and coming up on his knees started to pull her panties down her legs.  
  
Kat locked her knees together for a split second before reminding herself she wanted what she was getting and she had no reason to be embarrassed. She lifted her hips and let him strip the last of her clothes off, and the last of her defenses with them.  
  
Leon sat back on his heels for a second to just take in the perfection of her lying perfectly naked the way god made her in his bed.  
  
Kat took that as ok for her to do the same to him. She tried not to stare too long incase he figured out she'd never seen a naked man before. In the back of her head she did know that she maybe should tell Leon she'd never been with a man before but it was too embarrassing to admit that at her age she'd never had sex before. All the times that Nikki had teased her for her lack of experience were ringing in her head.  
  
She was too embarrassed to tell him about her lack of previous experience at the late stage of the game she found herself at, but she also found herself nervous that he'd be mad if he found out. He was expecting her to know what she was doing and instead he was getting a girl who didn't have any idea past some intense kissing.  
  
She held her arms open to him and he came to her again, kissing her deeply as he moved a hand down her body and between the newly bared juncture of her thighs. He gently cupped her sex at first. She whimpered softly into his mouth and he touched her more boldly.  
  
Kat didn't know what he was doing to her but she knew if he ever stopped she'd be forced to kill him. And that was about when her thought process stopped working and all she could do was whimper and squirm, not knowing what she was trying to get him to do but knowing it was something.  
  
Leon couldn't put a finger on what was strange to him but in the back of his mind he knew there was something he should be picking up on. Kat was responding to him with an honesty he found refreshing. She wasn't exaggerating what she was feeling. She was being totally open in her response to him, running her hands up his back and into his hair as she kissed him back almost frantically.  
  
She gently sucked on his tongue and it drove him almost crazy. He probed at the entrance of her body gently with his finger. She moaned and wiggled under him. He pushed his finger into her body slowly. He'd known she was a small woman, but she was so tight he had a moment of worry if he was going to be able to make love to her without hurting her.  
  
Of course, he reasoned, surely if it had hurt her to have sex she wouldn't be lying under him so trustingly.  
  
Kat felt the intrusion of his finger into her body and she arched off the bed with the feeling of it. She wondered if she felt so full with just his finger inside her how was she ever going to get something as large as his erect penis inside her. She reassured herself that her body was meant for it to work that way and that surely Leon knew what he was doing.  
  
He released her mouth and kissed and licked down her chest, stopping for a moment on her breasts then moving down over her stomach. He licked her belly button and kissed her hip bones.  
  
Kat decided it was her turn to do some exploring and pushed him back over onto his back, coming up on her side.  
  
"How'm I doing?" Leon asked playfully.  
  
"Any better and I think I'd die." Kat answered honestly and caressed his chest. He moaned.  
  
Kat used her mouth to taste and kiss his chest. She discovered that he liked it almost as much as she did if she sucked on his nipples. He loved it when she bit the area where his neck and shoulder met. She finally worked up the courage to take his erection in her hand. She couldn't describe the feel of it at all, she had nothing to compare it to. He groaned loudly when she first grabbed him and he didn't let her caress him very long before he swiftly rolled them back over.  
  
He settled on top of her, the head of his shaft lined up with the entrance of her body. She looked up into his eyes trustingly from under him, panting.  
  
"You sure about this baby girl?" Leon asked, one last time. It'd kill him to stop if she said no, but he would. For her he'd find a way.  
  
"More sure of anything then I've ever been." She answered honestly and then gasped as he started to push forward.  
  
"Oh lord." Leon moaned as he tried to go slow to give her body a chance to accommodate him. If he had to guess he'd say it had been a very long time since Kat had been with another man. "You ok?"  
  
"Umhum." She answered and wiggled around a bit under him.  
  
Her squirming almost undid him. He pushed forward more. He'd been going without sex since he'd started to see Kat. He'd been used to having some girl who wanted to be with him every time they had a party and then he'd gone into months of celibacy because once he'd met Kat none of those easy hoes had interested him any more. While they'd been fighting he'd always thought about picking up a girl to help him forget but then he'd just get drunk and think about the one girl he really wanted. And now he was with her and it was worth the wait. But her panting noises and squirming movements as she tried to get him to go deeper were driving him insane. With a kiss on her neck he obliged her.  
  
Kat couldn't believe the exquisite pressure he was building with in her. Then he moved forward a bit more and it almost became pain. Then with a stinging sensation it felt like something gave inside her and then she could feel he was fully with in her. She gasped a little at the pinch of it but it started almost immediately to feel just very full. She gave her hips an exploratory wiggle and gasped at the sensations it created where she was joined to him. When he groaned back at her she figured she was doing ok for a first timer.  
  
Leon couldn't believe that Kat had been a virgin. He thought back, trying to do anything to keep himself still while she recovered from the act of him entering her for the first time, and realized that all the times he'd kissed her and made out with her the other emotion she responded with was innocence. She'd been responding honestly and on instinct. She didn't have anything to base her response on other then the feelings he'd given her.  
  
"Oh man, that's so good." She moaned.  
  
"You're telling me." Leon answered and they both laughed softly. "You ok?" He asked again, tenderly brushing a chunk of her by then dry hair off her face.  
  
"I will be if I can just figure out what it is I want." She answered, both confused about what she wanted and knowing she wanted something.  
  
"I can help you there." Leon told her then moved slowly out of her before pushing back in.  
  
"Yep, that's it." She sighed and closed her eyes, tipping her face up for his kiss. He complied and started to move faster, now that it was evident he wasn't hurting her. Nothing had ever felt so right, they both thought at the same time.  
  
Something was building inside Kat and she didn't really know what it was, but she knew she wanted it more then anything. She started to pant faster, moaning as a pressure built inside her.  
  
"Something's happening to me." She gasped out.  
  
"Just ride it out baby girl. Just let go." Leon panted in her ear.  
  
Kat took his advice and with one more thrust she flew over the edge of a mental cliff and exploded into a million pieces with a cry. The sensation of her climax drove Leon over the edge into his own. He buried his face against the side of Kat's neck as he shuddered and tried to recover his breath. After a moment he got concerned about her bearing his weight. She was so much smaller then him.  
  
He wasn't ready to lose contact with her however so he rolled off her and took her with him so she ended up against his side.  
  
"ummm." Kat moaned contentedly and stretched out against his side.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Leon asked gently. He didn't want her to think he was mad, but he wanted to know.  
  
"Tell you what?" Kat asked sleepily and opened her slightly dazed and sleepy eyes to meet his gaze.  
  
"That you'd never slept with a guy before."  
  
"I was embarrassed about it I guess. And it never seemed like the right time for the, 'oh and even though you think I've been around because of how I grew up I haven't been' chat. Are you mad?"  
  
"No. But if I'd known I might have tried to be careful, tried to hurt you less."  
  
"It didn't hurt. Well, maybe just a little." Kat admitted when she caught his disbelieving look. "You were already being gentle and I didn't want to stop to chat about it once we were already...busy. I'm glad you're not mad." Kat sighed contentedly and laid her head on his chest.  
  
"I feel like you gave me a gift I'll never deserve if I live to be a hundred, but I'm not mad."  
  
"That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said." She leaned up and kissed him then lay her head back down on his shoulder and promptly fell asleep.  
  
With a smile of contentment he leaned over to turn off the light, than he wrapped his arms around her tighter and fell asleep himself. But not before wondering at the emotions he felt about the first time a girl ever spent the night with him, not just slept with him and went home. 


	57. In Living Colour

AN: Thanks for the continued readership everyone. Rest assured this chapter is much more general audience then the last one, LOL. Oh, and whether or not there could end up being 'little Leons' running around will figure into later chapters so if I can just keep finding time to write then you should see what I mean soon. Review please!  
  
Chapter 57 – In Living Colour  
  
Kat's friends searched for her for hours before they gave up and returned to their house to check and see if she'd called or come home.  
  
When the realized she'd done neither they sat down to wait. They were out of options. They'd looked everywhere they knew to and asked everyone who might have seen her. No one had seen her since some time early the day before.  
  
With a soft curse Kale realized there was one avenue they hadn't explored.  
  
"What?" Stacy asked him, sitting up straighter, hoping his friend had something.  
  
"We never talked to Harry." Kale said. "She might have gone to Harry to talk or whatever."  
  
"You're right. Harry's number's in her book in her room." Stacy said and stood up to go retrieve Kat's phone directory.  
  
"Hopefully he's heard from her." Kale answered and also got up to follow Stacy.  
  
Kale followed Stacy up the stairs into Kat's room. Both of them stopped for a moment just inside the door of the room and looked around, each noticing things and remembering Kat.  
  
There was a pile of disregarded clothes in one corner. Not dirty, just clothes that Kat had tried on and or one reason or another decided not to wear and tossed in a pile instead of hanging them back up.  
  
Her latest book was open on her bed, headphones beside it. Kat, the closet reader. Kale smiled fondly at that thought.  
  
Her closet stood open, crammed with more clothes then they were sure Kat even remembered she owned. She'd loved to shop before her life had gotten so serious. Both men wished that it had never happened that way.  
  
Her walls were covered in pictures of Skylines and Supras, Eclipses and one of an RX-8. She had no other pictures or posters, they were all of cars.  
  
There was a picture of her and her mom standing together taken when Kat was 14, right before her mother was killed.  
  
On a shelf in the corner were various pictures of Kat from high school. Pictures of her and Nikki dressed up for Halloween and school dances, pulling funny faces, or trying to be seductive in playful ways. Kat and Sean standing beside the Skyline the way it had been before Kat's accident. Kat and Connor beside the Mustang Cobra just after she and Sean had finished tuning it. The picture of them all beside the skyline. A recent picture of Stacy grinning in the front seat of the Eclipse. They'd forgotten what a shutter bug Kat was. There were so many pictures on her shelf and around her room. So many memories, 5 years worth, all documented in perfect color.  
  
Through the door of her bathroom there were towels on the floor and tubes of 'girl stuff' everywhere. Kat had a fetish of makeup and beauty product buying. The guys would bet that she never used half of it but she just had to have it all because it had looked 'cool' in the store.  
  
The whole state of her room just reminded them what a whirlwind she was. She was rarely happy to be still. She was always doing something. Even when she was reading she'd be kicking her feet and kind of moving to what ever was playing over her head phones.  
  
Stacy finally snapped out of his memories and walked over to Kat's phone and picked up her phone book. After looking up Harry in the little purple book he picked up Kat's car shaped phone with a chuckle he couldn't suppress at how childish she could be by times and dialed Harry's number.  
  
"Hello?" Harry asked, wondering who would call him at 1am on Sunday night. He had to open his store at 9am the next day and he wasn't too happy to be woken up by the phone.  
  
"Um hi." Stacy wasn't sure how to go about breaking the news of Kat's disappearance to her friend. Plus he didn't figure that Harry would know who he was on the phone. "Harry?" Stacy asked to be sure.  
  
"Yes, who's this?" Harry asked, displeasure at the lateness of the call apparent.  
  
"This is Stacy, Kat's friend. We were wondering if you'd heard from Kat or seen her tonight."  
  
"No. Why? Is she missing?" Harry was starting to sound worried.  
  
"Yeah. We got some bad news and Kat took off on us. That was around 9pm and we haven't seen her since." Stacy told Harry. "We searched for her since she took off till about half an hour ago."  
  
"I haven't seen her. What happened?" Harry was fully awake by the time they told him Kat had been missing for 4 hours.  
  
"Her step father found her and came after her by taking Sean. He says he'll release Sean if Kat gives herself back to him." Stacy stated. "He gave her till 9pm tomorrow to decide if she's going to go to him. If she doesn't then her step dad says he'll kill Sean and come and take Kat by force anyway."  
  
"Who's her stepfather?" Harry asked, head spinning with the info that Kat was missing and that someone was trying to take her from them all.  
  
"I don't know but I guess, according to Kitten he's involved in the Russian Mob. She says there's nothing we can do against him because he'll kill Sean. She says that she's going to give herself over to get Sean back. I know she's gotta come home by 9 tomorrow but we're worried that something happened to her while she was running away."  
  
"Has anyone seen her car?" Harry asked, already starting to think about who he could call favors in from that might be able to find her car or pick her up if they saw her.  
  
"She didn't take her car, she took off on foot." Stacy sighed.  
  
"She ran off on foot and she's been gone for hours?" Harry asked in shock.  
  
"Yeah, that's why we're getting so worried."  
  
"I wish I could help you find her. I don't know where she could be. If she does come by here I'll call you right away though."  
  
"Thanks man."  
  
"Sure, and if she does turn up could you call me and let me know so I don't have to worry?"  
  
"For sure." Stacy answered and the two men hung up.  
  
Stacy turned to Kale.  
  
"Well, he hasn't heard from her or seen her. I guess we have to go across the street and check with the punk."  
  
"Do you think she'd have run to him? They broke up." Kale didn't think Kat would want to see Leon and he really didn't want to go bang on their door at 1 in the morning.  
  
"I don't know man but where else is she gonna be? I guess we could call the hospitals and stuff but I'd rather check with the neighbours first." Stacy started to the door of Kat's room and Kale followed. Kale walked out the door and started down the stairs.  
  
Stacy stopped in the door and turned around to face the room again. It looked like Kat was just out for the night. Her room looked so lived in, her presence was so strong. Stacy didn't know how they'd survive it if Kat never came home again. Never swore at them for having their feet on the coffee table, never tried to make them clean their rooms even though hers looked like a whirlwind went through it, never smiled up at one of them through the engine bay of one of their cars.  
  
Their lives had been about taking care of Kat for so long that Stacy didn't know what they'd do if Kat went away. They loved her so much, Stacy didn't know if they could really stand to let Kat go. And moreover he didn't know if it was what Sean would want.  
  
Sean loved Kat with his whole heart and soul. If Sean knew that Kat planned on giving herself to her stepfather to save him he'd probably curse and swear and want to know what had happened to her head to make her do something so stupid. Sean would rather die for Kat to keep her out of the hands of her asshole step dad then have her give herself over to him and live. Stacy knew that if Sean could tell them what to do he'd tell them to take 'his Kitten' and run.  
  
Stacy couldn't help but think there had to be another way around the whole situation. With that thought playing heavily on his mind he turned off the light and closed the door of Kat's room softly behind him.  
  
Kale was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"You sure we should bother the people across the street? She's not gonna be there. It's not like her and that Dom guy could stand to be in the same house for long anyway."  
  
"We need to go find out if they've seen her. We have to find Kat." Stacy pulled the front door open and waited for Kale to follow him out of the house.  
  
"Fine." Kale sighed and followed Stacy out onto the porch. "But all the lights are off."  
  
Stacy stopped and looked at the white house across the street. The windows were all dark, no one was up. Surely if Kat was over there someone would be awake with her. The people across the way all worked the next morning too. If they hadn't found Kat by morning then they could ask one of the people across the street when they saw them on their way to work.  
  
"You're right. No one's up over there and if she was there someone would be. Lets go for another drive and look for her some more." Stacy said and frowned.  
  
"Yeah. I don't think she'd be over there at night if no one was up." Kale agreed and with that they took their respective cars and went on another search for Kat. 


	58. The Missing Ones

Chapter 58 – The Missing Ones.  
  
Around 3 am something woke Leon up from the deepest sleep he could remember having in a very long time. He yawned and stretched the wondered at the warmth of something curled up against his side.  
  
Then he remembered his evening with Kat and smiled. It was nice to wake up with the girl you cared about asleep against your side, even if her hair was everywhere and tickling your neck, nose, chest, and wrapped around your arm that was still holding the aforementioned girl close to you.  
  
He turned on the lamp, wanting to see her again. She was just as pretty as he'd remembered, she hadn't been a dream. Well, not this time. He couldn't count the number of actual dreams he'd had about Kat in his bed and he didn't have words for how happy he was that this time wasn't a dream, that she was real.  
  
He couldn't resist the impulse he had so he leaned down and kissed her forehead then the tip of her nose.  
  
A second later he was looking into a pair of dark green, sleepy eyes.  
  
"Hey." She murmured then blushed and buried her face against his side. She'd remembered what she'd done seconds after waking. And while she didn't have any regrets, she figured she was allowed to find it slightly embarrassing that anyone had seen her the way Leon had seen her.  
  
"Hey." He answered back and laughed. He couldn't believe the girl with no shame was so embarrassed to wake up next to him. Then he got concerned she was hurt or sore and just hadn't known till the excitement of before died down. "You ok baby girl?" He asked softly.  
  
His tenderness almost made her cry. She was so happy to have gotten her chance to have him. She was happy to know what things were supposed to be like before she found out first hand how things should never be. Thinking of the deadline fast approaching almost made her cry for different reasons. She sniffled then answered.  
  
"I'm fine. Incredible is a better word for it I think." She was still hiding behind her hair and his chest, not wanting to look him in the eyes yet.  
  
"Good. Um, Kitten?"  
  
"Yeah?" She finally met his gaze.  
  
"I hate to bring it up but I think we need to talk about what happened before I found you last night." Leon probed gently.  
  
Kat sighed resignedly. They did need to talk about it and he deserved to know. It didn't mean she had to be happy about it.  
  
"I guess I do need to tell you the story don't I?"  
  
"Yeah. I think I need to know." Now that he had Kat, finally, he wasn't giving her up. He'd find a way to help her. There had to be a way.  
  
"My mother was Russian. She moved here when she was 17. She moved here with a man named Sergei. He was a handsome man, and charming. My mother was a beautiful woman, and a Ballet dancer. She trained at the Imperial Ballet School in Russia from 8 years old till she was 16 and then she went on to dance in the Maryinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Sergei saw her on stage one evening and he decided he just had to have her."  
  
"I know how he felt if you mom was as pretty as you are." Leon said softly and waited for Kat to continue her story. She smiled at him, glad she was still in the happy part of the tale.  
  
"My mama had never made time for men up till then. I mean, she was only 17, but no man had ever interested her before Sergei came along. He swept her off her feet. Not only was my mother a great dancer, one of the best, but her mother was Prima Ballerina for the same company, and her mother had been one of the best dancers in Russian. It's like a tradition in our family for women to dance. My mama was a ballerina too, she was on her way to being the star of the company when Sergei came around. And for the first time she met a guy she couldn't say no to. He swept her off her feet."  
  
Kat looked up at Leon. She knew how her mother felt. She was with the first guy she couldn't say no to right at that moment.  
  
"But her Mama and papa didn't approve of him. Mama didn't know but Sergei was into things that made him dangerous. My grandmother and grandfather told my mother that if she dated Sergei they didn't want her to live with them. They wanted her to dance and only dance, than they figured in the natural order of things she'd find a male dancer to marry. See, ballet dancers who have companies, especially prima ballerinas are often told they can't have children, it's in their contract. Having a baby changes their bodies and plus they're out for a year while they're pregnant and having the baby. When two ballet dancers get together they're both on the same wavelength but a lot of times, especially with a girl dancer and a man who's not the man doesn't understand why the girl's gotta eat so strict and why she can't get pregnant till she doesn't want to dance anymore and the guy pressures the girl to have kids or whatever and the woman loses her place with her company. But my mother didn't care. She'd been the good daughter up till then and she was in love with Sergei. Sergei told my mother they should move to America. Mama had been here before, once, to dance in New York for ABT on a tour with her company from Russia. She agreed, she figured she could get on with ABT, even if she had to take a year in ABA first." She caught Leon's puzzled look and figured it was over the ballet acronyms. She knew them as a ballet dancer and a native New Yorker but he had no idea.  
  
"ABT is the American Ballet Theatre in New York, it's sometimes called ABC too, American Ballet Company. ABA is the academy that's sort of tied to the company. My mama didn't have to go to ABA, she was so well trained when she arrived that she just got in the company."  
  
"Where did you learn to dance?" Leon asked, enjoying the story but wanting to know more about Kat at the same time.  
  
"How'd you know?" Kat asked in shock.  
  
"A little bird told me." Leon smiled softly. "So, where'd you learn?"  
  
"ABA of course. My mama was teaching there as well as dancing when I started to learn. She'd go to work and I'd go with her for lessons. I didn't go to public school so that I'd have more time to practice my dancing. I was sort of home schooled I guess. I started at 7, after my dad was gone and I wasn't following him around while he worked with cars anymore. But anyway. My mom had been in New York for a year when she found out she was pregnant with my older brother. She was insanely happy and devastated at the same time. She wanted to have children with Sergei but she didn't want to give up dancing. She was young, which was really on her side because she didn't show till she was like 6 or 7 months along, she was back dancing by 2 months after having my brother and the company took her back. She was just a corps dancer at the time. Then she had my other brother two years after Josef. And things still worked out for her. I don't know, it's like she's the luckiest dancer ever because she should have been finished each time. But she's like me, she can't get bigger no matter what she tries. Then I came along when my mom was 23, three years after Ivan. My mom and Sergei were still very much in love but it had gotten to the point that my mother couldn't ignore the fact that while Sergei said he was just working for people his parents had connected him with from Russia the money he was making was too good for what he said he did."  
  
"I don't like where this is going." Leon said, knowing from the look on Kat's face it wouldn't be a good revelation.  
  
"Nope, it's not a good thing. Sergei was working for the Mob. He'd been the child of mobsters in Russia and his parents had wanted him to come to America to run their concerns here for them. He really loved my mother but he saw her as an easy way to come to America too. And when she found out what he was she was mad that he'd never told her but she still loved him too. So they stayed together."  
  
"I guess love is blind then huh?" Leon asked.  
  
"Not really. I mean, she wasn't blind to what he was doing but she loved him. But she got vocal about the fact she didn't like him being involved in the Mob and he got nasty with her. I mean, people in the mob are just like how you think they are. They can be mean and heartless. They can kill in the blink of an eye and never feel a moment of guilt. So when my mom started to complain about what he did out loud Sergei got pissed. They fought all the time and about two years after Ivan was born, so, about a year before me they finally split up."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"Well, she met my father. And realized what she'd felt for Sergei was very much just infatuation. She'd seen him as a way to rebel against her parents I guess. She likely loved him too, but she also didn't really understand love at the time either I don't think. But what she felt for my dad was real. They were so perfect together. My brothers went to see their 'real' dad all the time but he didn't even know about me. The boys were too young to think to tell him I guess. He must have known about my mom getting remarried but he didn't seem to care. We were happy. We were so happy that I even remember how happy we were even though I was only 6 when he left. I don't remember him but I remember how happy he made mom and how much he loved to have me tag along with him when he went to work and raced his car."  
  
"Why'd he leave then?"  
  
"Well, like I said, Sergei wasn't a nice man. He found out how happy mama was with her new husband and he didn't like it. He also finally found out about me and that made him mad too. Mama had always wanted a daughter. The boys had no interest in dance. My mother wanted a daughter she could train as the perfect ballerina. I mean, that sounds cold but it's just that the woman of our family have been handing down ballet to their daughters for so long it would have crushed her not to have a daughter to do the same for. But all Sergei and mama had had were boys. I think he was jealous my father made mama happy and gave her the daughter she'd longed for. So he decided to come back."  
  
"But your mother was already married again." Leon looked confused.  
  
"Yep, but when she found out that Sergei was coming back into her life and he wasn't pleased about what he'd heard she sent my father away. She told him she never wanted to see him again and that she wasn't happy with him. It was a hard sell since they were so very happy. My mother knew that if Sergei wanted her back and my father wouldn't give her up without a fight Sergei would not be above just killing my dad to put him out of the picture. My mother was scared of Sergei and she loved my dad so much that she knew she'd rather see him alive and not with her then dead over something he couldn't do anything about. So she banished him from her life and mine and sent him away. She got back together with Sergei and we never heard from my dad again. I guess that was for the best because from what I saw of Sergei it was a totally accurate assumption that he would have killed my father to get him out of the way. He started to bring Josef and Ivan into the 'family' business. I don't think Sergei was overly impressed with another man playing a bigger role in raising his sons then he was playing. I don't really think he wanted to be back with my mama, he just didn't want to see her happy and didn't want to see the boys calling another man 'dad'. But he didn't really care about me. I wasn't his and he didn't really want me. I missed my own father but I was only 6 when he left after all so it went away. But my mother never let me forget that Sergei wasn't my real father. My brothers got deeper and deeper into the business with their father. Then my mother was killed when I was 14. It didn't take long for Sergei to take off for Russia after it happened. He left me in the care of Josef."  
  
"The brother who tried to sell you?"  
  
"Yeah. But the more I think about it the more I realize he was just doing something that Sergei told him too. So I ran. You know that I've been living in California for the last 5 years now, more or less hiding from my brothers and step father. Well, my step father saw my magazine spreads and recognized me. He came looking for me and found me. But he just observed me for a while to figure out what I was into and where I lived. Who I cared about, that sort of thing."  
  
"Well, I mean it'd be hard to miss someone with your step daughter's name who looked just like her." Leon added.  
  
"Well, looked just like her yeah, but the name you all call me isn't my real name. I changed it when I was 14 and I'm so used to it now I don't even think about it but my name isn't really Katherine."  
  
Kat looked upset; she figured Leon was going to be mad at her for lying about her name to him too.  
  
Leon looked thoughtfully down at her, he didn't look mad, just curious.  
  
"So now that the cat's out of the bag," he chuckled at his bad pun, "what's your real name?"  
  
"Kat. It's still Kat." Kat blushed. She didn't want to go into her full name. It was doubtful Leon could say the names right anyway.  
  
"Oh, come on now. I told you my real first name even though it's pretty terrible. You have to tell me your real name." He smiled encouragingly.  
  
"Ok. Ok, I'll tell you. It's Ekaterina Ninochka Leone." Kat answered in a flawless Russian accent.  
  
"What language is that?" Leon asked in shock.  
  
"Russian." Kat looked embarrassed.  
  
"What's that mean in English?" Leon figured it must mean something.  
  
"It doesn't mean anything. It's just my name." Kat danced around the issue.  
  
"Come on now Kitten. I got good at figuring out when you were lying pretty quick." Leon smiled.  
  
"Ok, but it's corny and stupid and I can't count how many times I've wanted to shoot my mother over it." Kat hedged.  
  
"Alright, out with it."  
  
"The first two names, the Russian ones, mean pure grace. My third name is my mother's concession to my dad. It's Italian and means lion."  
  
"Pure grace. Your mom knew you as soon as you were born." Leon couldn't believe how much Kat's real name suited her. He was glad that Kat was still the short form of her real name so he didn't get to know her under a fake name. He just hadn't known the real story of what her name was short for.  
  
"It was wishful thinking. She was hoping she hadn't just given birth to the first ballet failure in our family history."  
  
"And was it wishful thinking or did it prove true?"  
  
"I'm told I have beautiful technique, very classically Russian, very classically trained. But I don't really have the desire for it I guess. I've always been the tomboy. I did ballet only because my mom really wanted me to and I wanted to make her happy. And I still love to dance, even ballet, but I love to do it for me, not to be perfect at it. I know, and have known for a long time, that dancing isn't what I want to do with the rest of my life. I wanted to race."  
  
"Wanted to? There's more to the story isn't there?"  
  
"Yeah. Sergei's back. And he figured out how to get to me. He has my friend Sean. And if I don't figure out what to do he'll kill him." Kat didn't plan on telling Leon she was going to turn herself over to Sergei to save her friend. He'd just protest and try to scheme like her guys had and she knew it was pointless. She didn't want to spend her last few hours with Leon watching him come up with fruitless plan after plan.  
  
"There's still more." Leon narrowed his eyes at Kat, knowing she was hiding something from him.  
  
He watched as desperation clouded her eyes and made her frown. He leaned down to kiss her lips, to try and reassure her. She wouldn't let him stop after a simple kiss and before he knew it he was making love to her again. It hadn't been his plan to but her sadness and desperation made him want to do something to show her that things weren't that bad. He tried his best.  
  
But like her story and their actions had tired her out she fell asleep again before he could talk to her any more.  
  
He studied her in the lamplight in his room. She was asleep on her stomach and he was laying on his side, head supported on one palm, looking down on her. Her hair was everywhere and she was snoring lightly. He traced the bumps of her spine down her back till they disappeared under the sheet just above the slight arch of her butt. His look was pensive and his thoughts were mixed up.  
  
Kat had just given herself to him, mind, body and soul. He knew she was hiding something from him. There was an important piece of the puzzle she wasn't sharing with him and he really wanted to know what it was. But he didn't want to wake her up either.  
  
There was a knock on his door, than Dom just walked in. Dom hadn't known Leon wasn't alone in his room. Leon groaned. There was going to be hell to pay.  
  
"Leon, I just got a..." Dom noticed there was more then Leon in the bed. "Shit I'm sorry. I though you were alone." Then Dom realized who it was.  
  
"Damn Dom, you couldn't wait for me to say hello before you just barged in?" Leon asked in annoyance.  
  
"What is Kat doing here?"  
  
"What's it look like?" Leon wasn't in the mood to play nice with Dom.  
  
Dom got a look on his face that did not bode well for how the next few minutes were going to go for Leon. Leon sighed.  
  
"I though she left you?" Dom growled.  
  
"She did. It's a long ass story and I assume you had a reason for coming in here that didn't have anything to do with who might be in my room with me."  
  
"Yeah. Have you seen Jesse? He went out for Corona at like 1 am and he never came back." Dom looked worried.  
  
"I've been home since like 11 so no, I haven't seen him." Leon looked concerned. Dom seemed genuinely worried and that made Leon nervous.  
  
"It's not like him to take off like this. It's 3am now, he's been gone too long." Dom went to leave the room. "I'll have to go looking for him. If he calls here or comes home call me on my cell ok?"  
  
"Sure dawg." Leon answered and with a shake of his head Dom left the room and closed the door. Kat slept on but Leon found he couldn't get back to sleep himself.  
  
It really wasn't like Jesse to take off and not let someone know where he was if he was going to be a while. Leon couldn't stop wondering what might have happened. He figured he'd get up and go help search. He'd just leave Kat a note telling her where he'd gone.  
  
As he got up to get dressed the phone rang. Leon answered it quickly, hoping it wouldn't wake Kat.  
  
"Hello." He answered softly.  
  
"Yes, I'm looking for the girl you call Kat." A Russian voice asked. 


	59. Fear and Loathing in LA

Chapter 59 – Fear and Loathing in L.A.  
  
"She's asleep. Who is this and what do you want?" Leon asked, none too happy at someone knowing Kat was at his house when it was the first time she'd ever been there at night and it was the dead of night to boot.  
  
"You can just tell her for me then, that I also have her little friend and if she doesn't comply with my terms they both die."  
  
Leon got a knot of cold dread in his gut. Kat's little friend? That wasn't Sean. Sean was huge. Kat's little friend...And Jesse was missing.  
  
"Who's her 'little friend'?" Leon asked, figuring he didn't want to know the answer.  
  
"He's a slim boy. Black nail polish. You tell Kat if she ever wants to see the quiet boy or the loudmouth man again she'll do as I asked."  
  
With that the caller hung up, all without giving him a chance to reply. Not that Leon had a clue what he would have said had there been time. Leon sat on the edge of his bed in total shock. The person who'd taken Kat's friend Sean had Jesse too.  
  
He knew that maybe it wasn't right but he blamed Kat for the whole situation. If she'd never come around then Jesse would still be safe. But because of Kat some crazy Russian mob boss had his little brother. Leon got up and walked around to Kat's side of the bed to wake her. He thought better of it for the moment and got dressed instead.  
  
Then he called Dom and told him there was no need to search any more, that Dom should come home so Leon could explain. Dom informed Leon he was on his way back and they ended the call.  
  
On that note Leon collected a shirt and pair of pants of his that Kat could put on and threw them at her.  
  
"Get up." He growled.  
  
Kat woke up and stretched.  
  
"What time is it?" She asked sleepily with a very feminine smile his way.  
  
"About 4 am. Time for you to get the hell up and tell me what the fuck you brought to this team." Leon snarled.  
  
Kat sat up in shock and looked at Leon.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
She could tell Leon was mad but she didn't understand about what or at whom.  
  
"You came around here and you brought the kind of trouble with you that doesn't just go away. And I was so stupid that I didn't listen to Dom and all the people who told me to leave you alone and you just wouldn't go away. And now some crazy man has Jesse. And you better know how to get him back."  
  
"Who has Jesse?" Kat zeroed in on the fact that Jesse was missing and tried not to let the rest of what Leon had said hurt her.  
  
"The same person who has Sean."  
  
"Oh no." Kat started to cry softly.  
  
Then she realized it didn't really matter because he'd give him back anyway when he released Sean.  
  
"What did he say when he called?" Kat asked in a voice scratchy from crying.  
  
"That if you didn't go through with his plan he was going to kill Jesse."  
  
"And if I do what he asks?"  
  
"Then he'll let Jesse go."  
  
"Then it's going to be fine." Kat answered with a resigned tone and stood up, modesty forgotten as she started to dress in Leon's clothes, the ones he'd tossed at her.  
  
"What do you mean it's going to be fine?" Leon roared. "Some asshole has my little brother and you say it's going to be fine?"  
  
"It'll be fine. You'll just have to trust me. I gotta go home. I have some things to do before 9pm and the guys have no idea I'm ok. Thanks for everything Leon. Thanks for not letting me fall over the bridge and for everything else." Kat sniffled and almost cried at the thought that she'd just spent her first and only night in Leon's arms and that it had to end with him hating her at 4am.  
  
"You're not going anywhere till you explain this whole thing to my team and how Jesse fits into the whole thing." Leon answered in the nastiest tone Kat had ever heard him use on her to that day.  
  
A second later when they were still staring each other down there was a knock at the door and again Dom just walked in.  
  
"Well, what's up Leon? Where's the kid?"  
  
"That is something that Madame bitch is going to explain to the whole team. Right Kat?"  
  
Kat got a mutinous look on her face. Dom looked shocked.  
  
"Now you just wait a god damn minute. You have no call to call me names. It's terrible that he dragged Jesse into this but it's hardly my fault." Kat yelled back.  
  
"Not your fault? If you hadn't come around here then Jesse'd be home right now!"  
  
"Yeah, and if the guys hadn't taken me in then Sean would be too but it's not like I ever could have dreamed that Sergei would find me let alone do something like this. Besides I already said I was going to fix it."  
  
"Enough!" Dom yelled. "This will all be explained to everyone at once. The whole place is worried about Jess and they all deserve to know."  
  
Dom looked from Leon to Kat, seeing one very angry man and one of the most resigned women he'd ever seen in his life.  
  
"Fine." Kat sighed and moved to follow Dom. "I'll tell all of you the whole story than I have to go home. No one's seen me since 9pm yesterday." Kat followed Dom out of the room and up the stairs and Leon trailed after her.  
  
The rest of team Toretto was in the living room.  
  
"Kat knows where Jesse is." Dom started.  
  
"Where?" Letty asked angrily.  
  
"I don't know where he is. I know why he's where ever he is."  
  
And with that Kat told them a very abbreviated version of who Sergei was.  
  
"So he found me and he's taken Sean, and it seems Jesse to get what he wants." Kat finished and a tear ran down her cheek.  
  
"Well, what's he want?" Vince asked. He couldn't be mad at Kat. He saw the rest of the guys were but he could tell she was mad enough at herself plus it there hadn't been much she could have done.  
  
"Me. He wants me." Kat answered.  
  
"Why?" Vince asked as Nyssa covered her face in her hands and Mia sobbed.  
  
Mia seemed to know what Kat meant by the fact Sergei wanted her when it had gone over the heads of all the rest of the team. All but Nyssa, who also already knew what nasty men wanted with young pretty women.  
  
"And what do you mean wants you?" Vince continued. Leon hadn't said a word since Dom had interrupted their fight. He'd just looked at Kat with anger and another unreadable emotion shining in his eyes.  
  
"He wants me to give myself to him because I ran away. He was going to give me to one of his business partners just before I ran and now he has the chance to do it again. He wants me to turn myself over to him and then Jesse and Sean go free." Kat was pacing the floor in front of the mostly seated team.  
  
"How does Jesse fit into the whole thing?" Brian asked.  
  
"I figure that Sergei wasn't sure I'd turn myself over for Sean. Sean wouldn't really want me too. I think he took Jesse as insurance."  
  
"What do you mean as insurance?" Brian still wasn't clear.  
  
"Well, he wasn't sure that I'd turn myself over to him for Sean. He must be pretty sure I will turn myself over to him for Jesse. So he took Jesse too. He wanted to hedge his bets."  
  
"So how are we going to get Jesse back?" Letty asked snidely, not seeing how they had any sort of plan. "I thought you said this was going to be ok?"  
  
"It's going to be just fine, come 9pm tonight." Kat replied, sounding so much older then her 19 years.  
  
"What happens at 9pm tonight?" Leon spoke for the first time.  
  
"I make plans to turn myself over to him so he lets Sean and now Jesse go safely. I'll let him give me to whoever if he can promise that he'll let my friends go." The tear she'd been holding in check escaped her and rolled down her cheek.  
  
"You're going to allow someone to give you away so that Jesse can be safe?" Letty asked, shocked.  
  
"There's no other way." Kat continued to pace. "Connor would try to help, he'd try till his dying breath, but still he'd die. The Tigers are some of the most powerful men in LA but they're nothing compared to Sergei. He'd kill them all and then kill Sean because I messed with him."  
  
"You can't do that to yourself Kat!" Vince roared. "I won't have it!"  
  
"I guess then, thankfully for Sean and Jesse's sake, it's not your decision to make V. My mind's been made up since he told me he had Sean yesterday. I'm just even more convinced of it now. It's sad that every good thing comes to an end but it was bound to happen sometime. I should have known that I couldn't run away from him forever. He was bound to find me. For what it's worth, I'm sorry that you all had to be involved in the whole situation. But I'm glad to have met you all." Kat turned on her heel to walk to the door.  
  
Dom coughed, trying to cover his upset. He couldn't believe the courage that a 19 year old slip of a girl who often acted like she was about 14 had just shown. He'd figured she was selfish but yet she'd just told them she was giving her life to save that of her friend and Jesse, a boy she hardly knew.  
  
"Kat. Wait!" he called after her. She stopped, back stiffening. It was clear she expected him to yell at her. "There must be another way. I mean, maybe Brian can help."  
  
Brian nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I still have contacts at the FBI and at LAPD. There must be something they can do to help."  
  
"Thank you, both of you. But I just don't think so. I mean, this is the Russian mob we're dealing with. It's best for all concerned if I just do as Sergei wants and let Sean and Jesse be safe." Kat smiled softly at both men.  
  
"I had a great run. I've had one hell of a 5 years here in L.A. It's not fair to let two innocent people pay for it so that I can run away from a mess I created. And no matter where I go he'll just find me again. Then Sean's dead and Sergei will catch me anyway. Only then he'll be really mad. I'm gonna be ok."  
  
"How can it be ok for you to just give yourself to someone without trying to do something about it?" Dom asked.  
  
"How can it be ok to let someone hurt Jesse so that I don't have to?" Kat countered.  
  
"There must be a way around. Let Brian see what he can do." Dom didn't want it on his conscious if Kat did let herself be turned over to her stepfather. He had to do all he could to prevent it.  
  
"Without an inside contact we'd never find Sergei. Let alone where he's keeping Sean and Jesse. Even with your team and all of Connor's guys we wouldn't have enough manpower. Not even if Brian got SWAT on his side. It's not like there's a map to where he's keeping Sean and Jesse. And he'd have them under guard. And likely in two different places."  
  
"Kat, let us try. Please. Things won't ever be the same without you. Do you know how ballistic Harry's gonna go when he hears all this? Harry won't let you do it." Brian tried to plead with Kat.  
  
"Bri, this is why I ran away from Stacy and Kale. I couldn't stand to see people I loved planning to save me when I know it'll never happen. It's a hopeless cause. Just let me go and try to be happy that I had a good life up till now. Ok?"  
  
"How can I be happy you think you had it so good? You're only 19! You're just a baby for crying out loud. There's so much you haven't done yet. And you didn't exactly have the easiest 19 years either Kat. Please, try to fight back. It's not like you to give up so easy. Where's the fighter I know?"  
  
Kat didn't know how to explain to Brian that if Leon hated her again she didn't really have any will to live anyway but even if she did she wouldn't let it be at the expense of two lives.  
  
"I been fighting fate for so long Bri. Maybe I just ran out of steam for fighting it. It's my own stupid fault that Sergei got this chance. I never should have stayed in one place so long. When you stay in one place you start to care about people and then you make yourself vulnerable. If I'd stayed on the move and made sure that I stayed out of the public eye then no one would be in trouble and I never would have been found."  
  
But I never would have learned what love truly was either, she told herself. But she didn't know if finally knowing about love was worth all the other hardships she'd gone through and was inadvertently putting the Toretto's through.  
  
"But you never would have gotten to have relationships or put down roots either." Dom reminded her. He was finding affection for Kat he never thought he would. And it all came about 19 hours before if she had her way she'd be gone from all their lives forever.  
  
"Katherine Leone! I will not let you do this to yourself." Vince got up and paced her way. No matter how irate he'd been with her at times he still remembered that he cared about her and he wasn't going let her do what she was planning without a fight.  
  
"Oh for crying out loud it's not even her real name. Just let her go home." Leon said, sounding mean and upset all at once.  
  
"What do you mean it's not her real name?" Vince asked, eyes narrowed for how Leon was talking to Kat after what she'd just revealed she was willing to do for Jesse.  
  
"She's been lying about her name all along too." Leon growled.  
  
Everyone looked at Kat.  
  
"He's not lying but if it makes anyone feel better about it I never told anyone my real name till I told Leon tonight. Not even my guys know. It was to try and protect me and everyone from this very situation. I knew it would make me harder to find." Kat tried to explain.  
  
"What is your real name then?" Vince asked gently. He didn't know why Leon was being such an ass but he wasn't going to follow suit.  
  
"It doesn't matter." Kat replied. "The Leone part is still all me."  
  
"What your real name is matters to me." Vince said softly. "What is it?"  
  
"Ekaterina Ninochka Leone." Kat answered and blushed.  
  
"So you're still Kat?" Dom asked.  
  
"That's me." She smiled sadly at the whole room. "And I'm gonna be fine guys. I mean, we won't know each other anymore but you don't need to worry about me. I still have at least 5 of my lives left." She forced a laugh. "I'll get away from this guy someday and I'll run. And then you'll get a post card with no return address from somewhere in Mexico that just says 'wish you were here' and you'll know I'm fine. It'll be fine."  
  
Dom thought it was really sad that the girl who was about to lose everything was the one trying to reassure them that it was all going to be fine. He knew it should be the other way around, and since he knew full well what she and Leon had been doing in Leon's room he wondered why Leon wasn't telling her it would be fine and he'd find a way to keep her safe. But Leon was still sitting on the couch shooting Kat nasty looks.  
  
Dom walked Kat closer to the door, where Leon couldn't see them. He wanted to speak to her in semiprivately and he knew she really did have to go tell her guys she was fine.  
  
"Why is Leon mad this time?" He asked softly.  
  
"He's just the only sane one in the whole house. He blames me for the fact that Jesse got involved and he's right to do it. It is my fault. But I'm going to make it right. Thanks for everything Dom. Even though we didn't always see eye to eye you're a good person. You love your team very much and I appreciate that. Take care of him for me ok?"  
  
"I'm gonna see what I can do Kat." She went to protest. He held up his hand. "No, don't tell me not to bother. I can't take this lying down. Brian has a friend named Bilkens in the bureau. He can talk to Bilkens on the QT and just see what could be done."  
  
"I can't stop you Dom, but it's really futile. As long as you know that." Kat put her hand on the door knob.  
  
Something occurred to Leon at that moment. Kat had been innocent when she'd come to him. Did she know enough to protect herself from being pregnant? In the heat of the moment he'd never thought of it and it was a first for him. He jumped up.  
  
"Kat!" He called. 


	60. Self Preservation

Chapter 60 – Self Preservation  
  
AN: Wow, chapter 60. Feels like only yesterday this was just a vague idea in my head and now here we are. Ok, this is one of my adult top warnings. Nothing major, just talk about the 'morning after the night before.' LOL. Ok, on with the show. BTW, if you haven't yet, take a look at a couple stories worth your time, they are 'The Ultimate Betrayal', 'America's Fates' and 'Puzzling Pieces'. The last is a round robin type story with 5 of us taking turns writing. It's pretty cool, I'm number 5 so my chapter just went up. Oh, and watch for 'Knights on the Blacktop' By The- Knight2000. It should be appearing this weekend. (hint hint, you know who you are!) Check them out, review. Review me too please! On with the story.  
  
The rest of the team thought Leon was going to make up with her, tell her he realized it wasn't her fault that the whole situation had occurred.  
  
Leon caught Kat on the porch and closed the door so the rest of the team couldn't hear what he was going to say.  
  
"Could you be pregnant?" Leon asked bluntly.  
  
"Um..." Kat didn't have an answer to that. She hadn't thought that far ahead. She'd had some idea of course that she should do something to prevent that eventuality but since she'd had no frame of reference for when she'd never thought of it.  
  
"Oh great. You could be then right? You don't take anything?"  
  
"Well, clearly I never had a reason to before I met you. But it's not likely anyway."  
  
"How do you know that? Neither of us did anything to prevent it."  
  
"Well, I don't always have my..." Kat blushed scarlet. "I'm um..."  
  
"Will you just tell me already?" Leon sighed.  
  
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. She wanted to tell him that while she knew she wasn't the kind of person who would make a good mother at all she'd treasure being pregnant with his child. A little boy she could keep forever if she ran away before Sergei or his friend found out she was pregnant. A little piece of Leon she could keep forever.  
  
Scared the hell out of her.  
  
She wasn't the maternal type. She'd never thought she wanted kids. She didn't like them much and she never thought she'd want to have a child of her own. She was the baby of her family so she'd never learned how to go on with young children or babies. She saw herself as the kind of person who just lived on the edge their whole life and never had time for children, never slowed down long enough to make time in their busy schedule to reproduce.  
  
Now she could see herself with a little green eyed baby, cooing at him and letting him pull her hair. Could see a baby seat in the skyline. See herself with a little boy holding her hand and tottering after her while she worked on the skyline, handing her tools, all the wrong ones of course. Could see herself at 29, a young 29 she added to herself, with a 10 year old son who was already breaking hearts because he looked just like his father and couldn't wait till his mom bought him his first car and taught him to drive because he already knew all there was to know about fixing cars. But the trick there was she'd never be happy with just one child once she got started. Not if they were Leon's.  
  
She'd want a green eyed daughter too. One she could teach Ballet and cars to. She'd treat her children the same no matter what sex they were. But Leon wouldn't be around to give her more children.  
  
Not only that but she couldn't see having kids that didn't know their uncle Sean, Stacy, Kale and Connor either. Kids that didn't have uncle Jesse to learn to tune engines from and uncle Vince to give them piggie back rides and Aunt Mia to teach them to cook Italian food and Aunt Letty to teach them to be tough. Uncle Dom to teach them rotaries and give them their first jobs in his shop and store.  
  
Hell, she'd never thought she'd make time for a man in her life either. But look how that ended up. She likely should have stuck to her live on the razor's edge, never slow down, never stop running too fast mentality. She sure wouldn't be in the situation she was in now if she'd just lived by her own philosophy. If she hadn't let herself slow down long enough to fall for Leon then there wouldn't be another innocent person involved in her mess.  
  
"I don't always have...My...That time of...of...the...the month...because I'm so..."  
  
Kat found trying to explain it to Leon was one of the most humiliating things she'd ever had to do. And he wasn't making it easier. He was giving her a very impatient look.  
  
"I don't always have a period because I'm so thin that I don't carry enough body fat. It's often considered lucky for it to happen to a ballerina but I always just found it scary."  
  
Leon looked like he really didn't know how to process that info.  
  
"So even if you did get pregnant by accident it could be a long time before you even realized?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Great." He threw up his hands  
  
Kat was very hurt that it was all he seemed to care about.  
  
"You've no need to concern yourself anyway. Come 9 tonight I'm out of your life forever. I..." She stopped herself just short of telling him she loved him and thanking him for the magical night to keep her through the rest of her life. She knew there'd never be another man for her. "I should go now."  
  
"You're just going to walk out of my life, possibly carrying my child and tell me it's ok because I'll never see you again?" Leon was red in the face he was so mad.  
  
"It's such a slim chance that it could happen to me that I don't think you need to concern yourself over it. But if I am I'll find a way to let you know." With that Kat started down the steps.  
  
"And what, raise my child while you're living with another man?" Leon started after her down the path.  
  
"There is not going to be a child. And I'll not be living with this person for too long before I run away from him. Then I'll go into hiding somewhere like Mexico or Japan. I don't know just where yet."  
  
"You can't know that! You just said yourself it was possible and that you wouldn't even know till months in."  
  
"It is possible but since I only have one...Time of the month in about every 6 the odds of me being able to get pregnant right now are so slim that I just don't think it's a big concern right now. Forgive me if getting my friend and yours back and planning my escape in a month or two is more important to me right now."  
  
Kat started to get angry. She still blamed herself for Sergei finding her because if she'd just had the sense not to be photographed it never would have happened. But it was because of everything going so well that she'd gotten complacent in L.A. She'd had Harry treating her so indulgently, her guys taking such good care of her, Brian being like the best guy friend she'd always wanted but had never been able to have, Leon to teach her what it was to really want someone, and Dom to give her goals.  
  
But she hadn't known Sergei would go after her friends. She would have rather just had him take her off the street. But he didn't do that, he went the route he did and Kat knew why. He wanted to take her of her own free will so that she'd be docile, or at least at first she would be.  
  
But Leon really had no right to blame her. She'd thought he did at first but the more she thought about it the more she realized he didn't. She had every right to blame herself but he didn't really have the right to blame her. He picked her up. He pursued her too. He came into the racers edge to meet her the first day, he saw her on his street and asked her to his house to watch movies. He asked her out to dinner. He came to visit her at work. He pounced on her at his work. He picked her up off the bridge and allowed what had happened to happen. He wasn't totally innocent of the connection between the two teams.  
  
She got ready to turn around and yell and scream at him over it. She could feel his eyes boring into her back so she knew he was still standing there watching her. Her muscles tensed and the adrenaline started to flow in preparation for the battle that was about to come. She was really ready to lash into Leon.  
  
Then it occurred to her that these were the last few moments she'd ever see him. No matter how mad she was and no matter how out of line he was fighting with him about it now was silly. It wasn't going to be settled and in a few hours she'd never see him again anyway. Why should the last memory they had of each other be a huge fight. It was better if the last memory he had of her was her retreating back. And if she didn't have a huge fight with him she could hold onto the memories of the night before herself.  
  
"Ð¯ Ð»ÑÐ±Ð»Ñ Ð²Ð°Ñ.[1]" Kat called back over her shoulder in Russian and started to walk away.  
  
She continued to walk down the walkway, choosing discretion as the better part of valor and heading for her own house, head high and back straight.  
  
*~*  
  
Leon watched the woman he'd just realized he loved walk out of his life. If she had her way she was walking out for good.  
  
And the last memory she had of him was going to be of him basically calling her stupid for letting there be a chance she was pregnant. She thought he was mad at her for not preventing herself from getting pregnant or telling him that it was a possibility so he could have done something about it.  
  
She thought he was mad because he thought it was her fault Jesse was involved in the situation as well.  
  
But the truth was he was mad at her for an entirely different reason.  
  
She'd let him fall in love with her.  
  
And he'd fallen hard.  
  
He was mad that she'd let him fall in love with her the night before she knew she was going to be walking out of his life. It wasn't right for her to let him love her then to walk away. She'd spent the night with him, given her virginity to him knowing the whole time she was going to get up the next day and make plans to barter herself for two people she cared about. He'd never fallen in love with a girl before, and she let the first time be with her, when she had known he couldn't have her.  
  
And Leon didn't know if he himself would have the strength to do what Kat planned on doing. It was a totally selfless act. And he'd made her feel like shit over it. She was doing it to get his brother back and he'd made her feel like everything was her fault and what she was doing wasn't enough.  
  
When in reality it was all she could do.  
  
She was doing the only thing she knew how and he'd belittled it.  
  
She was doing more then she should do and he'd yelled at her over it.  
  
She should just take off and run. She should save herself and say fuck it about Sean and Jesse. But she wasn't like that and she didn't have it in her to do that.  
  
She should.  
  
But she wasn't going to.  
  
She was going to do the right thing and Leon had made her feel that she'd messed up.  
  
He wanted Kat to be the mother of his children. And yet he'd made her feel bad about the fact that they might have made a baby together. It took two to make babies and Leon knew that fact quite well. Yet he'd acted like it was all her responsibility and he knew it wasn't. She'd been totally innocent and it was him that should be begging for forgiveness for not realizing she'd never been with a man 'that way' before. When he let himself think back over the whole time he'd known Kat the signs she didn't know as much about men as she tried to let on were glaringly obvious.  
  
The way she danced so sensually with guys she didn't have romantic feelings for, for one thing. She didn't know how much she was turning them on so she continued to act in ways that would be seen as her being a tease by lots of guys, but was just natural to her.  
  
The way she'd responded to him every time he ever kissed her. Something had been telling of her naivety in her kisses but he'd chosen to ignore it. To pretend he didn't know something was different.  
  
Kat took all the aspects of Letty that he liked and rolled them up with her own unique personality. She had Letty's tom boy, racer chick, grease monkey, just one of the guys attitude down. But she added her own ultra girly, vulnerable, Russian ballerina, Kat essence that just made her all the more special.  
  
He watched her walk across and up the street the short distance she had to go to reach her own house, his pants almost falling off her butt and his shirt three sizes too big, even though he was pretty slim himself. Once she was in her house he re-entered his own.  
  
"What the fuck is the matter with you?" Vince yelled at him the minute he entered the door.  
  
"I'm sorry to say I have to agree with Vince on this one." Brian added.  
  
Vince shot him a dirty look.  
  
"Damn it Leon." Dom sighed and shook his head.  
  
"Kat's going to give herself to some guy to get Jesse back?" Letty asked, not really grasping the full extent of what that meant.  
  
Nyssa just sat beside Mia while the two weaker females of the team held each other and cried. They understood all too well what it meant.  
  
Leon looked from one shocked face to another as he gazed into the eyes of his team mates.  
  
"What were you thinking talking to her like that when she's going through what she is man?" Vince continued to rant. "Can't you see she's not as tough as she lets on? She's having a hard enough time without you talking to her like that!"  
  
"What did you say to her outside Leon?" Dom asked in his deceptively calm voice.  
  
"Nothing." Leon mumbled out.  
  
"If you made her feel worse..." Vince threatened.  
  
"Why are you blaming her for this anyway? It's not like she could have known." Brian added, puzzled about what was going on.  
  
"I don't blame her. Well, I did at first, but I don't now. Not really. I'm mad at her but not over Jesse."  
  
"Then why are you mad at her Leon?" Nyssa looked up with tears running down her cheeks.  
  
Leon knew he owed his team the truth. They'd just had a serious shock about Jesse being captured, than they'd seen him act like a total ass to the girl who was going to try to get him back. He was through lying and through running. It was time to tell the truth.  
  
Both to himself and to his team.  
  
"Because she let me fall in love with her knowing she was going to go away and I'd never see her again." Leon didn't have it in him to lie about it.  
  
Dom sighed.  
  
Vince ran a hand through his already disorderly hair and went to Nyssa.  
  
Brian spun on his heel and headed to the phone.  
  
Letty looked like she still didn't know what to do or what to believe.  
  
"Well, what are we going to do about this then?" Letty asked. "We can't let her just do what she's planning but we still need to get Jesse back. But Leon, damn! If you love the girl then you can't just let her go away and do what she has planned without telling her. If things don't work out and we can't save her and she goes through with her plan do you want her to think you're mad at her and hate her for the rest of her life?"  
  
"Of course not Letty. Shit this is messed up." Leon sighed.  
  
Brian walked back over to the group from his position beside the phone.  
  
"Well, LAPD can't help. They don't have enough evidence and I could tell from the way Tanner spoke that they're just too scared to go after this guy. Maybe if they'd had someone undercover with him and knew his habits and had some idea where he could be keeping Sean and Jesse they'd help, but they won't go in blind. I'm still going to call Bilkins. The Bureau might have some idea about this asshole already. Especially if he's been traveling between Russia and the US. I wish we'd thought to get his last name from Kat."  
  
"Just keep trying man. We gotta do something." Vince said from his place on the couch where he was holding Nyssa.  
  
"We can't let her do this, no matter what." Nyssa sniffled. "She doesn't know what she's getting herself into."  
  
"I think she does baby girl. But I don't want her to do it. I just don't see how we can stop her if she's insistent on doing it and we don't come up with a better plan." Vince sighed and pulled Nyssa closer to his side.  
  
"Brian, you have to be able to do something!" Mia implored from the foot of the couch.  
  
"I'm going to do everything I can Mia, but I can't make the FBI help me. I don't even know if they'll know who this Sergei guy is from just the first name. If he's as bad as Kat thinks then I hope they will."  
  
Mia started to cry quietly in earnest again. Mia'd been more then mad at Kat by times, especially over what the other girl had pulled at races. But she could also see where Kat was hardly more then a child and Mia understood that Kat might not have great skills at dealing with things that upset her. What Kat was willing to do for Jesse and Sean was more then enough to raise her higher then Mia had ever thought she could go in Mia's estimation. And since Leon loved her Mia couldn't stand the thoughts of her leaving all their lives and never returning.  
  
Letty still looked confused. She literally had hated Kat up till an hour ago for the words they'd exchanged at races. She felt like she'd been plunged into some parallel universe where right was wrong and up was down. She'd had Kat pegged as an immature, selfish troublemaking girl. She couldn't jive that image of Kat with the image of the resigned, selfless young woman who'd stood in her living room a few minutes before.  
  
Dom paced around his kitchen. He was having thoughts along a similar vein as Letty. How could he mesh the feelings of hate he'd had for the girl who'd talked trash at races less then 24 hours before with the feelings of helplessness and anger he'd felt when he'd watched that same girl become a woman beyond her years in his living room and tell them about the crazy thing she was going to do to get the baby of his team home safe.  
  
Dom didn't kid himself. He was the leader of his team and while he knew Kat likely figured she was the leader of hers he knew the real leader of the house across the street was Sean. And Dom also, therefore knew, that Sean would want Kat to run as far and as fast as she could to get away. Dom knew Sean would want to just take what Fate and Sergei had in store for him if it meant that 'his Kitten' got away to safety. It was what Dom would want if they had him and they were trying to get Mia or Letty to do what Kat was about to do. He'd want Vince and Leon to take the girls and run, leave him to handle whatever it was and run as far away as they could. Even if it meant whoever it was followed through on their threats and killed him. He imagined Sean felt the same way.  
  
It wasn't in Dom to quit, and he knew that Letty and Vince would feel the same way. He wasn't as sure about Leon as he would have been at one time. The whole rollercoaster ride of his relationship with Kat had changed Leon in subtle ways. It had made him more volatile and Dom didn't know what Leon was going to do about the whole situation. But Dom knew that he himself was not going to sit back and do nothing.  
  
Dom rejoined the rest of his team just as Brian hung up the phone for the second time.  
  
"Bilkens is aware of Sergei's presence and he'll help all he can. He's had a man undercover in Sergei's organization for a few years now. He'll give us Intel and a few agents but he doesn't think it will be enough. This is Sergei Kalmanovitch we're dealing with here. He's bad news. He runs Russian crime. The fucker owns Israel for crying out loud." Brian paused, thinking about what they were getting into.  
  
"What do you mean he owns Israel?" Mia asked.  
  
"Israel is a different country in it's immigration laws and views. They allow all Jewish people the freedom to enter the country and offer them all citizenship. There are Jewish people who are Russian. What the criminals do is say they're Jewish, enter Israel with their dirty money and start taking over. Then they're also free to travel the world and carry out their crime with the safety of an Israeli passport. Kalmanovitch has both Russian and Israeli passports and several aliases. Not to mention he's worth billions and billions of dollars. He's real bad news."  
  
"So what does Bilkens say about the whole thing?" Dom asked.  
  
Brian sighed and looked at his feet. He was trying not to cry with the helplessness of it all. He finally got control of himself and answered Dom's question.  
  
"He'd rather if Kat just did what she has planned and then in a few months time when the Bureau is ready to bring down the whole ring he'll be able to bring her home safe then." Brian sighed. He did not like Bilkens' idea of a plan at all.  
  
"Hell no!" Vince roared. "We are not letting her be reduced to slavery for a few months while the FBI tries to get its shit in order."  
  
"And that is pretty much what I told Bilkens. I told him I appreciated his concern but we'd take the Intel and the few agents he can provide and hope for the best. We need to pick a HQ then I'll call Bilkens back and tell him where to set up and send his people."  
  
"This is over our heads guys." Leon spoke for the first time since his revelation. "We're not cops or agents or whatever you want to call it. How are we supposed to take on the MOB?"  
  
"Just like we took on Tran. As a team. We'll take it on as a fucken angry team. I mean he has Jesse guys. What he's doing to Kat sucks too but that doesn't change the fact that he has Jesse." Letty broke in. "We'll have the FBI on our side after all."  
  
"Then maybe we should just let the FBI do their job." Leon sighed and mussed his own hair with a careless hand as he said it.  
  
"You mean let Kat go through with her plan?" Nyssa looked up in shock.  
  
"Well, she'd be reasonably safe then and the FBI can bring down her step father's whole crime ring and she'll be safe forever. It's the plan with the least chance of someone getting killed. If we go through with what you guys are saying and Sergei gets away from us then he can just come after Kat again."  
  
"You'd let the woman you love, who to this point has ever only been with you be given to another man just to let the FBI do their job?" Nyssa was still looking terribly shell shocked.  
  
The rest of the team looked at Leon in shock. They'd known what Leon and Kat had been doing in his room when they'd come up from the basement together and Kat had been in Leon's clothes but they'd never dreamed that Kat had been a virgin till she'd gotten with Leon.  
  
Leon didn't know how Nyssa had known, but then again he didn't know how Nyssa knew half of what she knew.  
  
"It's not what I want, it just seems like the safest way to keep Kat, Jesse and Sean safe. The FBI knows what they're doing with this guy and we have no idea."  
  
"Kat knows." Vince jumped back into the conversation. "Not only that but you can bet if I have anything to do with it the fucker is dead as soon as I get a clean shot."  
  
Nyssa looked at her boyfriend in mild shot. She knew Vince kept a gun but she didn't know how adept he'd be at using it.  
  
"Look. I say we go tell Kat we have her inside information and see what she wants to do." Brian said, hoping that Kat would want to fight back now that they had a way for her to do so. He'd hated seeing her looking so small and broken. It wasn't the girl he'd come to care for over the time she'd been working with him or hanging out with him.  
  
"Yeah, we can't really make any kind of decision on this till we speak to Kat anyway." Dom said and headed for the door.  
  
"Maybe we better wait awhile Dom. She might be talking with her friends about where she was last night." Nyssa stopped Dom and made a pointed glance at Leon's bowed head.  
  
"Alright." Dom agreed on a sigh.  
  
----------------------- [1] I love you 


	61. Once a Tiger

Chapter 61 – Once a Tiger  
  
Kat opened her front door softly, surprised to find it unlocked. She hoped everything was ok with Stacy and Kale. They never left the door unlocked.  
  
She tiptoed into the house and peaked into the living room. She found Kale asleep on the couch, curled up into himself and Stacy asleep in the armchair, head lawling to one side as he snored softly.  
  
She was going to miss taking care of them, she mused as she walked into the hall.  
  
With a loving smile she pulled a few blankets out of the hall closet and spread one over Stacy and then with a sniffle she spread one over Kale, lifted his arm and crawled onto the couch with him, covering them both with the blanket. Kale groaned a bit in his sleep, wrapped his arms around Kat and settled his chin on her head.  
  
With a small sigh Kat allowed the familiar feelings of one of her protectors holding her to comfort her and she slipped into a fitful slumber.

* * *

Stacy woke up at 5:30 to a pounding on the door. He jumped up and grabbed his Glock off the coffee table beside him. He noticed Kat was back and then headed to the door to silence the knocking before whoever it was woke her up. Stuffing the gun into the back of his pants he went to the door and opened it, snarling face a warning who ever was there not to mess with him if they valued their lives.  
  
Two men stood on his doorstep. He'd never seen them before in his life and he had no idea what they could want.  
  
They were a little well dressed for Echo Park. They were wearing the well cut but bland black suits that those in organized crime were partial to. They looked similar, like they were related.  
  
"Who're you?" Stacy snarled.  
  
"We're looking for Kat." The slightly taller and older looking man said assertively but cautiously. It was like he knew he was dealing with a loose cannon and a dangerous man but he still planned on getting what he wanted.  
  
"Who...The fuck...Are you?" Stacy growled out again, more forcefully.  
  
"I'm her brother, Josef." The older man finally answered after trying to stare Stacy down. He was taken aback when it didn't work.  
  
It had been apparent to Stacy that the man wasn't use to having his requests denied and when the man admitted he was Kitten's long lost older brother Stacy knew why. The man was involved in fairly high levels of the mob so he no doubt was use to having his orders obeyed without question. Stacy hated to break it to him but they weren't in Brooklyn or Queens, they were in L.A. And the Tigers were the people to reckon with there, not Kat's brothers.  
  
Then Stacy realized that every time Kat almost said the name of the brother who'd planned on giving her away she said Jay. J for Josef. Stacy threw his hardest right hook and it connected with the white man's jaw, dropping him like a stone.  
  
Stacy shook out his stinging right hand and looked down and the prone form of Kat's brother.  
  
"Believe that fucker." Stacy grinned at having gotten revenge for a despicable act he had figured he'd never have gotten revenge for.  
  
The younger man looked at his fallen brother for a second in shock before looking at the irate black man in front of him.  
  
"What was that for?"  
  
"Who the fuck are you?" Stacy turned on his next victim, in the mood for a good old fashion fight.  
  
"Kat's brother Ivan." The man answered and backed up a few steps.  
  
"You have anything to do with his plan to sell MY Kitten to some old man in a business deal?"  
  
"Come again? I do not know what you are talking about."  
  
"You didn't know her older brother Jay...She'd never say his whole name...Was going to sell her to a business acquaintance of his fathers to solidify some deal? You never knew why she ran away?" It was clear from the look on Stacy's face he found that hard to believe.  
  
"No, I thought she ran because she just got sick of living with us and because she was so heart broken about mama. I did not know Josef planned anything so sick. I loved my little sister, even if I did admire Josef too much and followed him a bit mindlessly. If I had known what he was up to I would have stopped him."  
  
Stacy believed the younger man in front of him. He looked almost distraught. Josef was waking up from his forced and unexpected nap.  
  
"What was that for?" Josef asked.  
  
"That was for what you tried to do to MY Kitten and for making her have to run away so you couldn't go through with your nasty ass plan that's what. Now what are the two of you doing here?"  
  
"Our father is in town and he's going to make a play to get Kat back."  
  
"No shit. You're a bit late. He's already kidnapped our friend Sean and says we only get him back if Kat gives herself over to him. He's going to call again at 9 tonight to discuss it further. And Kitten plans on giving herself to him." Stacy growled, showing why he had been able to make it up so high as a tiger. He was both incredibly ruthless and able to act the part, snarling and ready to brawl.  
  
"He's kidnapped her friend Sean?" Ivan asked, shooting a look at his brother.  
  
"Yeah." Stacy sighed. Kat was so smart, how were her brothers so simple?  
  
"Can we talk to our sister?" Ivan asked, being careful to put the fact that he knew how tenuous his welcome into the house would be into his tone.  
  
"She's asleep. She disappeared last night after she got the news about Sean and she just turned up sometime this morning around 5 would be my guess."  
  
"This is very important. We can help her get Sean back and not turn herself over to our father."  
  
"Why didn't you say so?" Stacy said and led the two men to the living room. Stacy had a feeling there was more to the story then the men had let on to that point but if they could still get Sean back he was willing to hear them out. He had a feeling these men could be the inside connection that Kat had needed.  
  
He walked up to the couch and crouched down.  
  
"Kitten." He called softly. "Come on baby girl, wake up for me."  
  
Kat's eyes blinked open.  
  
"Stace?" She asked sleepily and yawned. "Did I fall asleep?"  
  
"You must have. Where were you last night?"  
  
Kat blushed.  
  
"Across the street."  
  
"Ah Kat. He didn't hurt you did he?" Stacy brushed 4 feet of blond hair out of Kat's face. He'd known it was coming but that didn't mean he had to be pleased about it.  
  
"No. Of course not." Kat lied easily and changed the subject. "Did you hear anything else about Sean?"  
  
"Sort of. There's someone here to see you."  
  
"Who?" Kat looked puzzled.  
  
Stacy moved so she could see her brothers.  
  
Kat jumped up and hid behind Stacy. Kale woke up and grabbing his gun off the end table stood behind Kat where he still had a view of the strangers in his living room.  
  
"What are they doing here?" She was clearly terrified.  
  
"They say they can help us get Sean back and make sure you don't have to go through with your plan."  
  
"But Josef is the one who wanted to sell me in the first place." Kat whimpered.  
  
Kale growled and cocked his gun. Stacy steadied him with a glance as Kat's brothers looked at each other, contemplating how safe they were.  
  
"But the other one didn't know anything about it." Stacy informed Kat.  
  
Kat looked up at Stacy and he wrapped an arm around her to make sure she knew he was there for her.  
  
"Why do you care to help me now Ð¼Ð¾Ð¹ Ð±Ñ€Ð°Ñ‚?" (my brother)Kat addressed Josef.  
  
"Because there's been something shocking come to light that I didn't know before and it made me realize just what an asshole our father is. I am sorry for what I did to you Kat." Josef stumbled over the unfamiliar name, having never called his little sister anything less then Ekaterina before.  
  
He didn't believe in affectionate names because they allowed you to get too close to someone who might end up leaving you or being taken from you. Such was the life of a high echelon Mobster.  
  
"I know that sorry will never be enough but I was young, and just following my father's orders. I though I wanted to be just like him. I've been slowly realizing that even for a mob boss our father is purely evil."  
  
"What brought about this startling change of heart Josef?" Kat was finding it hard not to talk with a Russian accent when faced with her brothers, who had heavy accents themselves. She fought to remember that Stacy and Kale deserved to hear this all, so she couldn't switch to Russian herself.  
  
"Kat, our mom did not die. Sergei faked her accident and took her. She'd been planning on leaving him again for your father and he was not having it. He's been keeping her under lock and key all this time and we did not even know." Ivan broke in.  
  
"My mom's not dead?" Kat whispered, shocked.  
  
"No. And we can rescue her at the same time as we get your friend Sean back."  
  
"Mama is alive?" Kat couldn't believe it. She'd spend the last 5 years of her life believing her mother was dead and gone. That she was alone in the world other then for her brothers. To be told the mother she'd spend the last 5 years mourning, and talking to for strength was not in heaven as she'd believed but alive in the custody of her ruthless step father made her want to break down and cry. It made her want to fall to the ground and sob, to hug her knees to her chest and weep. But she knew now, as she had when the same feelings had overtaken her as a tiger, that giving into the sorrow would solve nothing.  
  
"Yes EKater..."  
  
"Vanya, it's Kat or Kitten. Nothing else." Kat didn't want her brothers to start calling her Ekaterina. She didn't see it as her name anymore and she didn't want people to use it. She leaned heavily on Stacy.  
  
"Vanya? I thought his name was Ivan."  
  
"Vanya is a familiar form of Ivan. I grew up calling him Vanya like mama." Kat answered.  
  
She'd loved Ivan. She knew he wasn't like Josef. She also knew perhaps he wished he was more like Josef but Kat knew deep down he wasn't the same sort of person, wasn't as ruthless. She'd even known if she'd told him what Josef had been up to he may have even tried to help her. She just hadn't been willing to take the chance with something as important as her life.  
  
"So Kat, do you wish to try and work with us to get Mama back?" Ivan asked. "We will only have perhaps 48 hours to create a plan and put it in motion."  
  
"He's calling me at 9 tonight, how will we have 48 hours?"  
  
"He is going to call you at 9 tonight to make a plan for the exchange. He is not going to want to make the exchange until two days hence." Josef answered. "He does not know we have jumped sides on him because he does not know we found out about mama."  
  
Kat looked like she might not be sure if she could even trust the two men from her past that were standing in her living room.  
  
"Kat, you have to believe we want to help you." Ivan implored. "It's our mother he has too; we didn't know what Sergei had done to her. I swear we didn't know."  
  
"I believe you Vanya, it's him I don't know about." Kat answered, pointing a finger at Josef.  
  
"Ekaterina I swear to god I did not know about mama. I knew what I was doing to you but I was young and father had just given me more responsibility and it went to my head. I was following him blindly and it was stupid. I can't say that I will not take over his holdings if he should die two days from now, but I will not be evil like he was. Kat, I've come to realize how important family is, or should be, to everyone. And it's not important to my father. He would kill either of us for a deal too and we are his sons. That is a hard thing to accept about your own father."  
  
"Alright Josef, if you can remember to call me Kat and accept the fact that you'll be following the orders of the three of us," Kat made a gesture that encompassed her and her two friends, "then your in and we'll take all the help you can offer."  
  
"Take orders from you?" Josef looked shocked. "But you are just a little girl. We are the ones who know what is going on."  
  
"I'm not a little girl anymore." Kat answered. "And Sergei has Sean. That makes this a Tiger concern and therefore the Tigers will be running this show. We need to call Connor and then head down to his place to gather the troops."  
  
"The troops?" Ivan asked.  
  
"Our gang, the Tigers." Kat replied, and for the first time since she left pride could be heard in her tone. She'd been a Tiger, toughest of the tough. She could do this.  
  
She had to.  
  
"You are a member of the Tigers of L.A.?" Josef asked in shock.  
  
"We all were, we left but I guess we're all going back." Kat answered.  
  
"Hell yeah!" Stacy and Kale answered in unison. They'd figured the Tigers could handle the situation from the start and they were glad Kat had finally agreed.  
  
There was another banging on the door. Stacy and Kale both put hands on their weapons and went to answer the door together.


	62. Who says you can't go back again?

Chapter 63 – Who says you can't go back again  
  
AN: Sorry for the incredible wait, couldn't be helped. I'm gonna get on with the show here in a second, but first I'd like to plug some stories. In alphabetical order they are America's Fates, Knights on the Blacktop, Puzzling Pieces, Ultimate Betrayal, and Untimely revenge. Oh, and review review review please. Tempest is needy!  
  
Stacy and Kale opened the door to the Toretto team.  
  
"What do you want?" Stacy snarled to the whole team in general but he was staring at Leon while he said it.  
  
"We need to talk to Kat." Brian answered for his team.  
  
"That's a common request this morning." Kale answered, growling.  
  
"What do you mean?" Dom asked, looking puzzled.  
  
"We have the Russian mob in the living room." Stacy answered, confused about how he felt about that.  
  
"Kat!" Vince called out, worrying about her because her friends had left her alone with 'the Russian mob' in the living room.  
  
"Let them in guys." Kat called back.  
  
Stacy and Kale came into the room again followed by the whole Toretto team.  
  
"We can help you Kat." Brian told her.  
  
"How Bri? This isn't some small time hijacking or liquor store robbery. This is the leader of the Russian mob who has not only my best friend but it turns out my mom. I don't want you guys involved. It's over your heads. It's too dangerous." Kat made a gesture that showed she considered the matter closed.  
  
"He has our friend too." Letty broke in. "We have something at stake here too."  
  
"Maybe that's true but we'll get Jesse home safe. There's no need for you all to involve yourselves in something out of your league like this." Kat just didn't want people off the Toretto team like Mia, Nyssa, and Leon who didn't seem to live the rough lifestyle to be in a position to get hurt.  
  
"Kat, I was a cop remember? I'm trained in how to deal with these situations. Not to mention that Bilkens from the FBI has had an agent undercover with Sergei for the last few years and he can give us intel and agents to help us organize this operation." Brian explained. "We just need to pick a HQ and tell Bilkens where to send his agents."  
  
"Well, HQ is picked. We were on our way down to Connor's." Stacy said, staring at the whole Toretto group, but sending death glares Leon's way more often then not. He knew Kat had said that everything was fine but she wasn't as great at lying to them as she thought.  
  
"Fine, we're coming with you." Dom interjected.  
  
"Ok." Kat sighed. "But you'll be listening to us. This is officially a Tiger operation and my brothers have agreed to that already."  
  
"Your brothers?" Vince questioned.  
  
"Yeah. Josef and Ivan." Kat pointed them out in turn.  
  
Vince stalked up to the two men identified as Kat's older brothers.  
  
"Which one is which?" Vince asked, deceptively calm.  
  
"The taller one is Josef and the shorter one is Ivan. Josef is the oldest." Kat answered, looking curiously at Vince.  
  
Vince walked up to Josef and with a minute movement launched a solid punch into the other mans face.  
  
Josef hit the ground for the second time in as many hours and it was Vince's turn to shake out his stinging hand.  
  
"That's for what you tried to do to someone as sweet as Kat asshole. Now let's get this show on the road. We'll have to follow you guys down to Connor's since we have no idea where it is." Vince was focused totally on the business at hand having taken care of the other issue he saw in the way.  
  
"Does anyone else want to punch me before we continue?" Josef muttered around the hand that was holding his bruised jaw."  
  
"You don't want to go there around this bunch." Kat warned him. "Besides, you can't say you don't deserve it, even if you are sorry."  
  
"I suppose so." Josef looked like he wasn't quite sure he did really agree.  
  
"Look, you might be my brother by blood, or at least half of it, but these men are my real brothers, by life, love and caring. So if they stand up for me like brothers should then you really can't say much about it. Let's go."  
  
Everyone headed for the door and just before she followed them out of the house she programmed the phone to forward all their calls to her cell so she wouldn't miss her stepfather's call. Then snatching up her keys she exited the house and stood in the driveway.  
  
"How we doin this Kitten?" Stacy asked Kat.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Who's riding with who?" Stacy clarified.  
  
"I'm taking the skyline. I guess Ivan can ride with me. You can take the eclipse and take Josef. Kale can take the supra." Kat turned to the Toretto's. "I assume you guys will take your own cars and just follow us right?"  
  
Dom answered for his team.  
  
"Sure. We'll figure out our ride situation and then back out of the driveway when we're ready so you'll know we're ready to roll."  
  
"Ok." Kat turned to her skyline and unlocked it after disarming the security system. Stacy and Kale and Kat's brothers all got in their respective cars and then they waited for Dom and his team to back out of their driveway.  
  
Once Dom's team was on the road ready to go Kat backed down her driveway and the rest of her party followed suit.  
  
"Have you been ok?" Ivan made conversation with his sister in the car on the way to Connor's.  
  
"Mostly." Kat answered as she sped down the highway on the way to south central.  
  
"Well, how so? What does mostly mean?" Ivan would never admit to it but he'd missed his little sister. Worry for where she was and if she was ok had coloured a lot of his days. He'd tried to find her several times but she'd covered her tracks far too well.  
  
If she hadn't gotten her picture into magazines they'd still have no idea where she was. Of course, then neither would Sergei, but the threat would still be hanging over her head then.  
  
Sergei had been incredibly angry when Kat had gotten away. Josef had caught the brunt of his anger, and Ivan was still not sure just how trustworthy Josef was. However, as Josef had told the whole group, their own father would kill them in a heartbeat. Ivan figured that this revelation had been very sobering to Josef, and that Josef sincerely wanted his mother back.  
  
Ivan figured it was best that the whole situation would be settled one way or another now, and everyone left standing could get on with life knowing it was over. He knew that meant that not all of them might come home, including himself or Josef. But as long as his sister wasn't hurt he didn't care. He was willing to die for Kat, willing to die for what he'd done to her. He doubted that Josef felt as strongly about it but Josef was sincere about how he'd felt when he'd realized his own father would kill him. He'd been crushed.  
  
"Mostly means I've had some rough spots, but I've mostly been alright."  
  
"What happened that was not alright?" Ivan found he really cared. There had been a hole in his life, and his heart caused by the fact that his own flesh and blood little sister had been running around the world, possibly alone, but at very least thinking he didn't care, that he didn't miss her. He was going to seize the chance to make things up with her, even if she ultimately decided she couldn't trust him.  
  
"Well, I was raised by a gang since I left, and that had it's ups and downs. I guess we weren't so different from the mob in a lot of respects, we had leaders and followers, but there was just this sense of family in the Tigers that didn't seem to be present in the mob. Stacy was almost killed once, then so was Kale. Only I blamed myself about Kale because he's the quiet one and I was the feisty one, and I thought if I'd been there with him instead of out getting high that he would have been more on his guard or I would have protected him. I felt so guilty about it Itried to kill myself over it. I wrecked this car once..." Kat started to drift off into other, not so alright memories.  
  
"You tried to kill yourself!" Ivan exclaimed and fell silent with his guilty thoughts of how he and Josef were to blame for that particular turn of events because had they never driven her to run away it never would have happened.  
  
"Yeah. Before I stopped letting myself feel guilty over things."  
  
"What could a little girl like you have done to feel guilty over?" Ivan tried to reassure her at the same time as express his genuine curiosity over what his innocent sister could have done that was so horrible.  
  
Kat shot him a look. "You'd be surprised."  
  
"Yes I would." Ivan told her and fell silent. He watched the miles of LA roll by at an alarming rate. He and Josef had a lot to answer for, but Ivan took it upon himself in that instant to make sure that his Ekaterina made it out of this latest trial safely, her and her friends. If Ivan had anything to say about it his little sister was never going to have cause to feel guilty over her friends getting hurt again.  
  
Kat checked her rear view frequently to make sure the rest of her guys and Dom's team were keeping up with her. They weren't exactly keeping up, but she could see them all in various positions on the road. The only one keeping right up with her was Leon. She couldn't see his face because of her tint, and how dark it was in his car due to his own, but she imagined she could feel his eyes on her, burning into the back of her head.  
  
She really wasn't sure how she felt about Leon and his involvement in the whole situation. He wasn't like her team, not even like Vince. She didn't really see him as a scraper. He was more like someone who'd only fight with what they had available to them if the situation absolutely required it.  
  
And if he was determined to participate in the rescue of Jesse and Sean the situation would require it of him.  
  
They arrived at Connor's a few minutes later. Kat was out of her car running for the door as soon as the car was parked.  
  
Connor, having heard the cars pull up to his place came out his front door and saw the blonde bullet flying his way. He caught her with a soft umph and wrapped her tight in his arms.  
  
"Shush baby girl, it's gonna be ok." Connor murmured to Kat as he stroked her hair.  
  
"Things are so messed up C and it's all my fault." Kat wailed into the front of Connor's shirt.  
  
"Nothin's your fault Kitten. And it's about to be put right so stop worrying about it." With that Connor looked up from Kat and noticed that while he knew the three large black men walking his way, he was being confronted with 8 people he didn't really know. "What's with the crowd Kitten?"  
  
"Well, not only did they take Sean, they took the Toretto's friend Jesse, so they insisted on being included. And the other two are my brothers, Ivan and Josef." Kat pointed out her brothers in turn.  
  
"What the fuck are they doing here?" Connor growled.  
  
"They say Sergei has my mother, she's not dead at all, and they've come to try and help us get Sean and Jesse back at the same time as we get my mom back."  
  
"Can you trust them?" Connor asked while he stared down the two Russian men in the group.  
  
"I don't know, but I don't see where we have a choice." Kat admitted. "They know things about Sergei and his organization that we'll need to know to get Sean back."  
  
"We'll watch them." Connor admitted reluctantly and went to walk back into his house, taking Kat with him. "You may as well come in." Connor called, almost reluctantly over his shoulder. 


	63. Anxiety

Chapter 63 – Anxiety  
  
AN:blushes uploaded too fast and forgot to give cred to 'The Blackeyed Peas for the song Anxiety, which is theirs and can be seen on the awesome movie 'You got Served' but I knew about it before I saw that movie, LOL.  
  
Everyone filed into Connor's house, which doubled as the home of the Tigers of L.A.  
  
It was an unassuming grey house on the outside. It was surrounded by a chain link fence, had a walkway up from the gate to the front door and a larger then average driveway. The driveway was filled with highly modded and tricked out domestic cars, mustangs and Trans Am's, Chevy II's and Chargers. There were also a fair number of sport bikes, or crotch rockets as so many called them. Inside, the house was very different from what most expected based on the look of the outside.  
  
It was set up with all the latest in entertainment gear in the living room and when Kat and the crowd with her arrived the big screen TV was blasting out the latest Hollywood blockbuster by the state of the art DVD home theater system connected to it.  
  
It was promptly silenced when the men who were watching it saw who had arrived and the look on her face.  
  
Kat's countance could only be described as grim. She looked resigned and upset. A lot of the current Tigers only knew Kat as the girl who lived with Sean, Kale and Stacy; they didn't know Kat the way she had been when she'd lived at Connor's house.  
  
Many of the guys in the Tigers knew Kat from before she and her guys moved out of the very house she was once again standing in. They knew, in vague detail what went down, and what was going to be expected of them to put it right. All of the Tigers were ready for whatever they had to do to get Connor's brother and Kat's mother back.  
  
Kat stood in the middle of the living room and looked around. Nothing about the room had changed, but yet everything felt different. It wasn't home, and it didn't feel like home and that was disconcerting. It had always been home before, even after she'd moved out. But now the house in Echo Park was home, and Connor's was the place that didn't mesh, the place where she felt like she was just visiting. But, while it wasn't home, it still felt familiar at a time when everything felt foreign and everything was spiraling out of her control.  
  
Stacy walked up behind Kat, cutting off Leon, or 'the punk' as Stacy thought of him, who'd looked like he was on his way over to talk to her. Stacy wrapped his arms around her waist and she tipped her head back into his shoulder. Stacy shot Leon a dirty look over Kat's head. Leon retreated to the corner of the room where the rest of his team had congregated.  
  
"Stace, what are we gonna do?"  
  
"What we came to do Kitten, get Sean and your mom back."  
  
"I can't." Kat whispered. "I could have before but I can't now. I've changed too much. I'm not that girl anymore."  
  
"You can Kitten. You can do it. But if you really don't think you can, we can do it without you. We'll find a way."  
  
"I don't want to be that girl anymore. I'm not that girl."  
  
"There was nothin wrong with her." Stacy only told the truth in his mind.  
  
"She was bad news Stace. That Kat was bad news. She was pure evil and I don't want to be like her ever again."  
  
"When she had to be. She wasn't pure evil. Not unless times got really bad. And this is one of those times Kitten. We need you." Stacy rested his chin on Kat's shoulder. Kat seemed to wrestle with some internal struggle. She seemed to reach a decision.  
  
"Aiight. Connor!" Kat called, standing up and away from Stacy, decision made. And once that decision was made it had to be put into effect right away or she knew she'd lose the courage she'd screwed up and chicken out.  
  
"What baby girl?" Connor asked as he walked up to Kat.  
  
"Get me my guns." Kat ordered in a tone that no one had heard her use in a very long time, or in the case of the Toretto's not ever.  
  
"Baby girl, you don't mean that. Besides, you told me to sell them. Remember?" Connor was remembering how lethal Kat was with the particular guns she was talking about. She'd used lots of them in the past, but there was no doubt in Connor's mind which guns she was ordering him to fetch for her now.  
  
"Yeah, I did. But you told me you wouldn't because you knew someday I'd want them back. So Connor, get me my guns." Kat growled the last part.  
  
Connor sighed. "They're in your room, everything is still up in your room like you left it. I always figured you'd all move home again. I never figured you'd make it on your own and then when I realized you were going to I never got around to emptying your room."  
  
"Good." Kat started to stalk off toward the stairs.  
  
"Kitten?" Connor's question stopped her.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"You sure you wanna go there?"  
  
"Got no choice." Kat answered firmly and headed up to her old room.  
  
Connor looked at Kale and Stacy. "This can't be good."  
  
"She needs to do this." Stacy replied. "She can't handle it any other way and we need her."  
  
"I don't know that we do. There's lots of help here, she could stay here and help with the scanners and phones and stuff." Connor had missed Kat but he was pretty sure she was better off in her new life then in her old one.  
  
"It's her choice." Kale tossed in and, seeing the logic in that statement the other two let it drop.  
  
"What's the big deal anyway?" Vince asked.  
  
"With what?" Connor replied.  
  
"Kat and her old life."  
  
"You'll see." Connor sighed. He was both dreading and anticipating the moment when 'the old Kat' returned. "How is this gonna go down? These two have some idea what we need to do?" Connor gestured toward Josef and Ivan.  
  
"Yeah, and we have an inside connection. The FBI has had an agent undercover with Kat's stepfather for a few years and they're sending him over to give us all the info and help he can." Brian informed Connor and the other Tigers.  
  
"Ah hell no! You want me to let an FBI agent into my crib. Hell no!" Connor began to freak out. He didn't see how he could have an FBI agent in his home filled with stolen goods, drugs, paraphernalia, criminals, and illegal firearms, not to mention two of the people from the mob that the FBI was no doubt after.  
  
"He's not coming here looking to get you for what will amount to some petty low rent charges compared to what he has on Kat's step dad. He's coming to put a big dent in organized crime and Mob activity by getting Sergei Kalmanovitch off the streets and out of the scene. He's not going to care about what you're up to. He won't even go beyond whatever area you set up as the HQ for communication and organization." Brian tried to reassure Connor. "Besides, we need this guy."  
  
"Why? We have these two fools." Connor answered, pointing at Kat's brothers.  
  
"Yeah, but they've been out of the loop for the last few days. The agent is sneaking off as we speak. He knows where Kat's mom is and her brothers aren't totally sure. Don't you want the best chance at bringing Sean back?" Brian questioned, concern for the three missing persons evident on his face.  
  
"Fine." Connor conceded, obviously not pleased even still with the whole situation.  
  
"When's he getting here?" Dom asked Brian, anxious to get Jesse home.  
  
"Soon." Brian answered.  
  
Leon wasn't sure what he thought about the situation he had found himself in.  
  
He wanted to get Jesse home safe and he was trying to make that his focus, but at the same time he was hurting for Kat too. Both for what she was going through and what he'd done to her. But he didn't know how to make it right or what to say.  
  
Plus he figured her anger might be helping her make it through the whole situation so he didn't even know if he should try to explain himself to her. He figured he'd let her hold her anger till after things went down, and then he'd insist they talked about everything.  
  
He knew he'd messed up a lot but he hoped that by telling Kat how he really felt, and why he'd acted how he had she'd be able to forgive him. And he admitted to himself the was hoping her joy at having her mom and Sean back safe would put her in a benevolent mood.  
  
Upstairs Kat was dealing with her own internal struggles.  
  
She hit play on her CD player after inserting her favorite CD. She didn't want to listen to her own thoughts any longer. She wanted to drown them out and just shut her thought process off while she did what she had to do to prepare herself. The first song filled the air in a crescendo.  
  
'I feel like I wanna smack somebody! Turn around and just bitch slap somebody! But I ain't goin' out bro, I ain't givin' into it. Anxieties bash my mind in.'  
  
Try as she might, she couldn't shut down her thoughts. They kept going like a run away train and she couldn't make them stop.  
  
Here she was, back in the middle of things she had told herself she'd never be in the middle of again. Here she was putting on the outfit she swore she'd never wear again, picking up weapons she swore she'd never wield again.  
  
Here she was ready to do things she swore she'd never do again.  
  
'Shackle and chained, my soul feels stained.'  
  
Her hands were already so bloodstained in her mind she didn't know how she'd live with herself to see more blood on them but she knew it was one experience she was going to have to go through first to know if she could endure it. And she knew just as surely that she was going to have to spill more blood; that more deaths would be on her hands if she went along and helped actively in the rescue of her friends.  
  
'Lately my whole aim is to maintain and regain control of my mainframe.'  
  
She'd worked so hard to let go of what she had been and become what she was, she didn't want to let the new her go. But she didn't see how she could just sit home and do nothing. Not when her best friend's life was at stake. The loss of Sean from her life had effected her deeper then she ever would have thought it could. He'd been her rock, her touchstone for so long she'd gotten use to looking to him for guidance and help. Now she felt like she had no one to look to for those things. And the old Kat had been far more adept at handling it then the girl she'd forced herself to become to stay sane when she'd abandoned the life she was about to take back up.  
  
'My train of thoughts more like a runaway train. I'm in a fast car drivin' in a fast lane in the rain and I might just hydroplane.'  
  
Her life and her thoughts were out of control and there was nothing she could do. She hit her knees in the middle of her room.  
  
"Lord, I know I haven't been the best person in the world, I really do. I know I made some promises to you about what I would do and what I would never do again if you'd just help me and the guys get out of the life we were living and into a safer one. But the thing is Lord a lot of people are depending on me to help them get Sean home. And they need me to be strong and be the way I was to get it done."  
  
Kat looked skyward.  
  
"But it's gonna mean doing some things God. Things I told you and myself I'd never do again. And it has to be done. So if I'm going to hell over it then I guess I was never sure I wasn't going there anyway. But I just wanted you to know that I know you kept your end of the deal, and I'm sorry I couldn't keep mine."  
  
'I'm filled up with pain, tryin' to gain my sanity. Everywhere I turn it's a dead end in front of me. With nowhere to go gotta shake this anxiety. Got me feelin' strange paranoia took over me, Aad its weighin' me down. And I can't run any longer!'  
  
"So God, if you could see your way into doing me this one last favor, if you could help me get through this by making me back into the old me I'd be really appreciative."  
  
With that she stood up and looked around. She didn't feel much different but she thought maybe she would when she finished getting ready. She walked into the bathroom attached to her old room and found it just as unchanged as the rest of her space in Connor's house. She began to do her hair and makeup. Then she got dressed in the outfit she found still hung in the closet where she'd left it. And when she did up the last zipper she felt somehow different.  
  
'I don't fear none of my enemies, and I don't fear bullets from oozies. I've been dealing with something that's worse than these, that'll make you fall to your knees and that's the anxiety. The sane and the insane rivalry.  
  
Paranoia's brought me to my knees. Lord please please please take away my anxiety. The sane and the insane rivalry. Paranoia's brought me to my knees Lord, please please please. Take away my anxiety.'  
  
She knew why she felt different. The fear was gone. The indecision was missing. The anxiety had disappeared. She knew what she had to do, and what her purpose was.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She left her room. 


	64. The White Tiger

Chapter 64 – The White Tiger  
  
About an hour after Kat went upstairs she came back down. She hesitated at the bottom of the stairs to take in the scene.  
  
The Toretto team was all still talking amongst themselves in the corner they started off in. Brian was the only exception to that; he was talking with Connor, Josef and Ivan. They looked to be making plans for the coming operation. There were various groups of Tigers all around the room. It looked like the agent had yet to arrive.  
  
The people in the room finally noticed Kat. The Tigers who didn't know Kat before she moved and the Toretto team did double takes.  
  
Her hair had been died jet black in streaks, like tiger stripes. It contrasted with the natural white blonde pieces just like the stripes on a Siberian tiger. It was being held back off her face by a white and black tiger print bandana and had odd pieces braided all through it. She was dressed from head to toe in skin tight matt black racing leathers with white tiger print inserts at the side seams of the pants and jacket. The jacket had a tiger leaping out from the front and 'The Tigers' written on the back in black letters with white under them, appearing only as white outlines and white outline tiger prints all around the words. She had on knee high boots buckled from ankle to knee, done up over her pants.  
  
Sticking up from the top of her left boot was the handle of a wicked looking knife. Around her waist in two separate holsters on a wide ammo belt were twin Desert Eagle .50 caliber handguns made of nickel plated chrome. The holsters were also strapped around her upper thighs to stop them from moving while she ran and did other things requiring agility. Lower on her thighs she had spare magazines, preloaded and in a special quick loading holsters.  
  
She looked nothing like the Kat many of them knew. It was a striking contrast. She looked tough. She looked like the gangster she had been, not the sweet girl many of them had come to know. She'd been told, when the movie 'Gone in 60 Seconds' came out that they must have copied her to make the character 'Sway' other then Jolie had curves in all the places Kat did not.  
  
Leon was totally floored. He didn't know the girl he saw now. Her green eyes were cold and hard. Her blond hair was half dyed pitch black. She was wearing motorcycle leathers for some reason. That one Leon really couldn't figure. He didn't know what to say to her so he stayed with his team and said nothing. He could feel the shock rolling off Vince and Dom too.  
  
Letty took one look at this new Kat and knew she was now looking at a girl who had to be at least ten times tougher then Letty herself. Not to mention more ruthless then Vince and it wouldn't have taken much to convince Letty the new Kat was as strong as Dom.  
  
Dom himself didn't know what to think and the sentiment was echoed on the face of Brian and Mia. Nyssa started to cry softly again, like she could tell all was not well when she looked at this new Kat.  
  
Connor walked up to Kat.  
  
"No way Kat." It was clear he knew what she was about.  
  
"What are you talking about C?" Kat asked, shortly.  
  
"There's only one reason that you'd get dressed like that and there's no way its happening. No way."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Kat answered and looked away. Connor took her chin between his thumb and first finger and turned her so her eyes met his again.  
  
"Yes you do, and its not gonna happen."  
  
"Yes it is." Kat stamped her foot and turned to walk away into the living room again. Connor let her go. The subject was dropped for the moment.  
  
"Ok people this is how it's gonna happen." Kat started to talk.  
  
"But the undercover agent hasn't even gotten here yet Kat." Brian started.  
  
"Doesn't matter. Don't need him yet anyway. There's lots we can figure out before hand. Like who's doing what and going where with who."  
  
"Ok." Brian conceded.  
  
"First thing's first. Mia, Nyssa, you girls are staying here." Kat left Letty off the list with a look into the other girl's eyes. Kat had seen enough hardness there that she knew Letty'd seen enough of the streets to be included with the rest of the guys on her team.  
  
Mia looked like she was fine with staying behind and Brian, Dom and Vince looked relieved.  
  
"If Vince is going I'm going with him!" Nyssa protested with a look at Vince. Vince went to reply. Kat got the jump on him.  
  
"No way in hell are you coming! You don't have half the street skills you'd need to handle this. You ever shot a gun before?" Kat asked Nyssa with a snarl.  
  
"No." Nyssa admitted. "But I can damn sure learn quick."  
  
"Not quick enough and I got no time to teach you. They'll be lots that'll have to be done around here and you'll be more use to the teams here."  
  
Nyssa didn't look happy with the decision but she did shut her mouth in a mutinous line and let the issue drop.  
  
"Let's get one thing straight right now people. We got no time and no room for people who can't pull that fucken trigger this time. You think you can't handle killing someone, or shooting at them, or you can't handle the danger or stress speak up now and stay the fuck at home. You're gonna have to pull the trigger to make it home alive so make sure you can do it and live with it right now." Kat looked around the room, green eyes flashing. On the inside she was sure she could do it but she wasn't so sure she could live with herself after.  
  
Leon couldn't believe how mean she looked. She was not the innocent girl he'd gotten to know. But he knew that girl had to be in there still, and that said he didn't know how she was so sure she had it in her to kill men herself.  
  
"And let's be clear on another thing. There's every chance not all of us are going to come home at the end of this thing. I'm ready to die to end this, to get them all home safe, and anyone who doesn't feel the same doesn't belong here either. I don't expect everyone standing here now to be standing here when this is all done and the smoke clears. If I'm one of the ones who doesn't make it back then so be it. If anyone else isn't that comfortable with it then now is the time to walk away."  
  
Kat again scanned the room and took in the resigned and ready looks on the faces of all the Tigers. It was just another day in the hood to them, another day on the most notorious gang in L.A. They lived every day expecting some of them not to make it back to the fort. Only difference this time was it was even more personal. Kat looked at team Toretto. They looked slightly less unsure, but no less resigned.  
  
"So, I know Brian can handle a weapon, and I'm sure Vince can too. What about you Dom?"  
  
"I'm sure I'm as good with handguns as you are." Dom tried to stay confident in the face of the attitude of this new Kat.  
  
"Really?" Kat asked and actually laughed. "Let's see it then!"  
  
"You want me to shoot something right now?" Dom asked, in shock.  
  
"No, just wanna see how you handle yourself with a gun." She looked at Dom challengingly. He hesitated to pull his 9mm out of the back of his pants.  
  
Kat grabbed one of her Eagles out of it's holster and spun it on her finger, then grabbed the handle, cocked it, ejected the round into the air, dropped into a crouch and caught it behind her back, then ejected the magazine and inserted a fresh one off her thigh, cocked the newly loaded weapon to seat a round in the chamber. Then spinning on her heel she had the loaded weapon pointed into the startled face of Brian, who'd come up behind her while she was talking.  
  
Display over, Kat holstered her weapon and fixed her spare magazines.  
  
"OK, you win. But I normally hit what I aim at." Dom admitted grudgingly.  
  
"Fine. What about you?" Kat asked, looking at Letty.  
  
"I did time for armed robbery, what do you think?" Letty asked, getting sick of the new Kat's attitude.  
  
"I think I hope you know what you're getting into." Kat said and turned away. "Ok then. Dom, you can take Letty with you as a team. Vince, how many does your car seat?"  
  
"Four." Vince replied.  
  
"Ok, take Miles and Trey with you." Kat finished Vince's team with two Tiger members and Vince nodded.  
  
Kat spared a look for Leon. He was looking a little green and Kat was struck once again by the feeling that Leon had no idea what he was in for and no idea how to handle firearms. She paired everyone else off into teams except for Leon and herself.  
  
"Who'm I going with?" Leon asked Kat, wondering if it was her, since she hadn't put either of them with others.  
  
"I want you to stay here. You have no call being up in this." Kat began. "I get the feeling you haven't done too much stuff like this before and I'd really rather you stayed here with Mia and Nyssa."  
  
Kat was worried about her ability to watch over Leon and take care of everything else she'd be going through. She didn't know why she still cared.  
  
"I can take care of myself and I'm going. I'll be fine."  
  
"Leon, let's be honest here. You don't have it in you to shoot another human being. You just don't and because you don't you don't belong going on this mission with us."  
  
"I'll be fine and I'll do what I have to do. I'm going. Jesse is my brother, remember? Besides, what makes you so sure you have it in you?"  
  
Kat's eyes clouded over and she didn't notice the fact that most eyes in the room were trained on her, waiting for her answer. Dom and Vince and the rest of their team had been asking themselves the same thing. Kat's team knew the answer.  
  
"I've done it before, many times before." Kat answered.  
  
"No way!" Brian broke in.  
  
"Yeah, I have. Surely you've all heard of 'The White Tiger'?" Kat shot off.  
  
"Yeah, but what does 'The White Tiger' have to do with you?" Leon asked. Even he knew who 'The White Tiger' was.  
  
He was the most notorious gangster of all time. He'd killed countless numbers of men who'd gotten in his way or messed with his friends. He was too fast for the cops to catch and too ruthless for 98% of the thugs and gangsters of L.A. to mess with. He sold more drugs single-handedly then the combined total of all the small time dealers in L.A. and did more drugs then he sold.  
  
It was rumored he drove a motorcycle faster then the wind and rode it like it was just an extension of his body. They'd all heard of him, but no one knew what he had to do with Kat.  
  
"Put two and two together for crying out loud!" Kat said, louder then her normal tone. "'The White Tiger' was a member of 'The Tigers'. 'The White Tiger' drove faster and more reckless then anyone else L.A. has seen in a long time. And last but not least 'The White Tiger' fell off the face of the planet about a year ago. 'The White Tiger' is me. I was a Tiger, I'm white. Do I have to spell it out?" Kat sighed as she walked over to a cloth covered item in the corner of the room.  
  
"I said no way Kat!" Connor called. "Its not gonna happen!"  
  
"What isn't gonna happen?" Nyssa asked Kat.  
  
"This." Kat answered and tossed a cover back off a vague shape in the back corner of the room. Under the cover was an Aspirlia RSV 1000 Mille R Nero painted black with platinum silver stripes to match her leathers. It was an Italian sport bike made purely for speed. It was dangerous in the wrong hands. Such as hands that hadn't handled the power in over a year. But the bike was the final proof the team needed to know she really was who she said she was.  
  
"You are not riding that thing. No way." Connor continued to protest. "You haven't ridden it in too long and it's too dangerous. Take your car."  
  
"Yes I am and that's final. The bike is faster, more maneuverable and easier to hide. And I want someone to hide Sean's within one block of where ever we find out they're keeping him. When I get him free he's gonna need his bike to go after Jesse and my mom."  
  
The mouth of every member of the Toretto team dropped open in shock. Before they could go into the issue in any more detail the front door opened and someone walked in. He was dressed just like Kat's brothers, and Kat was struck by his oddly colored and oddly familiar eyes. Kat could only assume he was Brian's agent.  
  
"Who're you?" Kat asked.  
  
"I'm the agent that O'Connor told you about, Bilkens sent me." The man answered. At the sound of his voice Nyssa looked up in shock and then dropped like a stone to the floor in a dead faint.  
  
TBC... 


	65. The Pissing Contest

Chapter 64 – The Pissing Contest  
  
Vince stooped down and picked Nyssa up off the floor into his arms. "Who the hell are you?" He growled at the new man, clearly picking up on the fact it was the new comer's presence which had caused Nyssa to faint.  
  
"Oh my god!" The agent exclaimed and walked over to the group of people who'd surrounded Vince and Nyssa. "It can't be. It just can't." He muttered, clearly agitated.  
  
"What can't be what?" Dom asked in his infamous 'I'm-so-mad-I'm-calm' voice. He wasn't happy to see one of his team so upset she passed out. His voice came out low and gravely. Letty laid a calming hand on his forearm, silently asking him to keep his cool until they had the information they needed from the newcomer. It wouldn't be the first time that Dom had silenced someone with his fists before they'd heard all they needed to hear from the victim.  
  
"I'm Danny Williams. This is my little sister Nyssandre." Danny breathed out in shock. He reached out to touch one of the shiny red-black curls on his sister's head. Vince moved Nyssa, who was still in his arms out of Danny's reach and gave the man a deadly look from his flashing blue eyes.  
  
"Yeah, well this is my girl Nyssa and she fucken thought you were dead." Vince snarled and carefully set Nyssa down on a couch while he still had it in his power to be gentle with anything, before he blew up and flipped out at the man who'd left the one girl who'd managed to get through to Vince other then Mia to live with a wicked step father who'd ultimately tried to rape her in the front porch.  
  
"I know she thinks that." Danny blew out a frustrated breath and looked at his shoes. "She had to. When I went undercover into this world I had to leave my whole previous life behind. If she'd known I was still alive and tried to contact me she would have been putting her own life in jeopardy, as well as mine and my whole assignment. I couldn't have that."  
  
"You didn't have to take a job where it meant leaving her to that asshole your mother married either." Leon added. He loved Nyssa like a sister and he couldn't stand the thoughts of her being man handled by her jerk of a step-dad because her stupid older brother had had to take a big glorious job with the FBI rather then take care of her. He decided he didn't want to keep that to himself. "You didn't have to take a guts and glory job and leave your little sister to some asshole to raise either. That was your choice."  
  
"Listen, that job was only supposed to be for a year tops and then I was going to have all the money I needed to set us up in our house on the beach and take care of us ok? But when you get in as deep as I had to you can't just walk away because the job didn't end on schedule. Plus the bureau was supposed to make sure she was taken care of. She was supposed to get enough money to live on under the guise of it being my life insurance money. I was going to explain everything to her when it was done and over. It was supposed to be ok. They told me they'd take care of it all."  
  
"Yeah, well, the state of California didn't get let in on the FBI's little plan because they made her stepfather her legal guardian when her mother couldn't be found and put all the money in a trust fund she couldn't touch till she turned 21. And that doesn't happen for another few months so you know she had no choice but stay with," Vince spit out the name, "Ed. As far as the state was concerned you were dead."  
  
"They left her with Ed?" Danny asked, in shock.  
  
"Yeah, till she happened to meet me one night by accident when she went street racing with her cousin Manda for the first time and Manda and her idiot boyfriend abandoned Nyssa at the warehouse for the cops to catch. I picked her up to drive her home just on impulse because she looked so alone and scared and she ended up crashing at our place for the night because she couldn't go home to Ed. I taught her to race, she moved in with me, the rest, as they say, is history." Vince looked smug at the very irate look in Danny William's face. He clearly did not think much of his sister being involved with Vince.  
  
"Hold up, she lives with you?" Danny growled.  
  
"Yeah, she lives with me, with us." Vince made a gesture that encompassed team Torreto. "She works with us, races with us, lives with us."  
  
"I can't believe this. I don't know how Mark would allow this." Danny spit out his father's name like the man was no more then a criminal he'd known, not his own dad.  
  
"Oh, you mean Nyssa's dad? He approves. He's out of jail and he knows full well where Nyss lives." Vince took great pleasure in sharing with Danny. "He comes to visit all the time."  
  
Vince knew that wasn't totally true, but the man had come to visit before he and Nyssa had broken up, and he had approved of the relationship then. Vince figured he would start again when he knew that all the issues had been worked out.  
  
"And what do you mean she street races?" Danny was getting more and more upset every second.  
  
"Just what I said. She races with us on our team. In what use to be your skyline. Of course your little wannabe ass didn't have it built just right but me'n Leon and the Mad Scientist have it all worked out now." Vince actually chuckled.  
  
"This all comes to an end now. She's my sister and no way is she street racing in my car and dating criminals besides."  
  
"Yeah, well, she missed that memo and the car is officially in her name now so I don't think there's much you can do about it. And if you try to mess with her or her car it'll be the fucken last thing you ever mess up." Vince cracked his knuckles and moved closer to Danny Williams, intent obvious.  
  
"My sister is coming home with me, she's not living with our ex-con father or criminals like you." Danny moved even closer to Vince.  
  
Vince obviously had a come back. Kat shoved her way in between the two men.  
  
"Enough!" She called. "This has gotta stop."  
  
"This guy's sleeping with my baby sister!" Danny bellowed at the same time as Vince shouted,  
  
"This guy left my girl to live with that asshole who almost raped her!"  
  
"Enough!" Kat shouted again. "There are bigger issues on the line right now. You remember Sean and Jesse right? We need to get them home safe then the two of you can have your pissing contest over who has more right to Nyssa, who I might add is an adult and will make up her own mind what she wants to think about this whole thing anyway."  
  
Vince sighed and ran a hand through his already naturally messed up hair. "You're right Kitten, as always."  
  
Kat broke character for a moment, long enough to give Vince a quick but much needed hug. "She's not gonna pick her brother who abandoned her over you V, you got no call to worry." She whispered. Vince hugged her back, hard but quickly and then turned back to his girlfriend. Kat turned to Danny.  
  
"If you gonna be here you gotta be some help to us. That over there is Brian." Kat pointed at the blonde man in question. "He's ex LAPD. Go tell him what we need to know so we can get this show on the road."  
  
"Who the hell are you to be giving orders around here?" Danny asked, taken aback at being told what to do by a tiny blonde female.  
  
"She's runnin this show with my full approval." Connor said deceptively calm from behind Kat, slipping an arm around her waist. "This is Kat."  
  
"Should that mean anything to me?" Danny asked, still acting stuck up.  
  
"It will if I tell you my full name is Katerina Ninochka and these two," Kat made a sweeping gesture that took in Ivan and Josef, "are my brothers." Danny saw the two Russian men for the first time.  
  
"What are they doing here? They're Sergei's right hand men!" Danny's hand went to the Glock hidden in a concealed holster in the waist of his pants.  
  
"They've turned and are helping us, helping their sister." Connor stated. "With them and your intelligence we should have enough information to get our friends home safe."  
  
"I'm not working with them, no way." Danny said, shaking his head. "They're up to no good. I've seen too much of what they're capable of and what they're like to think they're in this for anything other then evil."  
  
"Sergei has our mother. They'll help us, you don't need to worry about them. You will have to worry about me if you don't get this show on the road." Kat snarled and went for one of her guns.  
  
"Calm down Kitten." Connor rubbed the tops of Kat's arms. Kat gave Danny a hard look. Without a word he walked off to talk to Brian, clearly not sure what to make of the odd assortment of friends and enemies he'd found himself thrown in the middle of, and reeling over being reintroduced to his sister in such a shocking manner.  
  
Kat wandered over to where Nyssa was still out cold on the couch. She was very confused over what was going on and she really didn't know if she had the strength to finish what she'd started. She knew she was full of big talking but she really didn't know if she could pull it off. She put on her most exaggerated look and she was trying to find the attitude to go with it but it was hard. She wasn't this girl anymore she was just pretending.  
  
She just thought she had to pretend for her own sake and the sake of the two teams depending on her. She had convinced herself she had to be the trash talking tough girl so her team and Leon's would have someone to look to. Someone who was holding it together and wasn't effected by the drama. Someone who'd been able to put the personal shit to the side and was just concentrating on the task at hand.  
  
She figured she was doing a good job on the outside of giving off that image but on the inside she was just barely holding it together. Her old cloths and her old look were only on the outside, only a costume. It was like when you were a kid and got all dressed up for Halloween. You might feel like Wonder Woman for that one night but at the end when you were home and the candy was all checked out and you donned your pj's the feeling that you really did have super powers went away and you were just plain old Jane again.  
  
Kat already felt like the evening was over and it was time for her pj's. She didn't want to wear the costume any more because it felt fake, just like when she'd dressed up as a punk rocker as a kid all the while knowing she was a ballerina underneath.  
  
Kat crouched down beside Nyssa and brushed some hair off her forehead then looked up at Vince. "Shouldn't she have woken up by now?"  
  
"I don't know." Vince sighed. "She's always been the calm one. She's the one who's good under pressure and able to take stuff in stride. I've never seen her react like this to anything."  
  
Kat shook her friend by the shoulders. "Nyssa! Wake up!" Kat called, trying to sound angry.  
  
"Where am I?" Nyssa asked softly, starting to come around.  
  
"You're on a couch at Connor's. Do you remember coming here?" Kat asked, gently now that Nyssa was awake.  
  
"Yeah. I remember coming here and the door opening..." Nyssa trailed off, lost in thought. Her face clouded over. "It was my brother. I saw my brother!" She looked at Vince in confusion. "But he's dead so I must be imagining things."  
  
Vince crouched down at Nyssa's side and Kat moved away to give them some privacy. Kat knew that Nyssa would take the news of her brother's 'death' and the real job that had kept him away from her better from Vince than anyone.  
  
Vince and Nyssa talked for some time. Nyssa kept shooting her brother unreadable glances and Danny kept looking back at Nyssa like he had a lot he wanted to say. He didn't attempt to approach her however, he kept talking to Brian. It was a conversation that Ivan and Josef had joined in on.  
  
After a few more minutes Brian and Danny approached the rest of the crew.  
  
"Ok guys. Here's what we know. Sergei has the three people we're looking for in three different places."  
  
"We figured he would." Kat broke in.  
  
"Yes we did." Brian answered.  
  
"However, for some reason the only one he doesn't have under heavy guard in a hard to reach place is Sean." Danny broke in.  
  
"Sean is at his Long Beach house under moderate guard. The house is reasonably secure but will be the easiest of all to access."  
  
"Why would Sean be under the least guard?" Kat asked suspiciously. Sean was the most dangerous of the three people being held. Kat did not understand why he would be the least watched.  
  
"The beach house is very secluded. The odds that Sean could ever escape and make back here from there are very slim. Especially since they will have disarmed him and he'd have no vehicle to use." Danny speculated.  
  
"But Sean is still dangerous with only his fists as weapons." Kat argued back.  
  
"He's restrained, just not under heavy guard." Danny said, sighing like he was frustrated with Kat and her questions. Danny was acting like the answers to Kat's questions should have been obvious.  
  
"Father doesn't think you'll try anything Kat. He thinks you will do just as you've said, turn yourself over to him. He has no idea you ran with gangs or used firearms. He thinks you are still just a little girl." Ivan said.  
  
"Yes, Sergei is very confident that you will surrender to him in exchange for your friend's safe return. He is not anticipating any trouble. He only has the boy under closer guard because he had to leave him at the L.A. house and it has more security as a rule then the beach house anyhow." Danny explained.  
  
"So Sean is at the beach house and Jesse," Kat stressed the name Jesse in her sentence because she didn't like to hear him called 'the boy' like he was just another kid who didn't matter, "is at the L.A. house."  
  
Danny nodded his head.  
  
"Are we talking Beverly Hills here, where is the L.A. house?"  
  
"Bel Air." Danny answered.  
  
"And where is our mother?" Josef asked. He'd only found out that his mother was still alive and being kept, not where she was.  
  
"She'll be the hardest to get to. She's in his downtown L.A. office building, 'The Dragon's Gate' in his penthouse suite. Since Sergei lives there more then in any of his other residences she's going to be the hardest one to get. He has the whole building very well guarded."  
  
"In my opinion we could just walk in there and gun down everything that moves. The world would be a better place." Kat stated vehemently. Connor and Stacy seemed to agree.  
  
"It would alert him to our presence and he'd kill your mom rather then let you have her back. It must be done with tact. We do have the jump on him in that he has no idea we're onto him or planning any of this." Danny tried to be confident. The scope of the rescue mission astounded him but he really felt it was for the best to try and get the three innocent people back now rather then ask the petite Kat to subject herself to what could be years of abuse while they finally got all the evidence they needed to bring down Sergei and his whole organization. Danny knew Bilkens said a few months but they'd told him a year when he'd taken the job and look how accurate that had been.  
  
Kat looked up for the first time in hours and realized it was dark outside. She checked the clock on the VCR and realized it was 4 minutes till 9. "Shit, he's gonna call any second."  
  
"You're not home! You have to be home for his call!" Danny looked almost panicked.  
  
"I set the house to forward all calls to this phone. He'll never know any different and I'll still get the call."  
  
As if by cosmic irony as soon as she made her statement the phone rang. Everyone looked at the ringing instrument in horror as Kat walked over to it. Picking it up she put it to her ear.  
  
"Hello?" 


	66. Watch your back

Chapter 66 – Watch Your Back

"Ekaterina?" Sergei's heavily accented voice came across the line, made even more disembodied by the static on the cellular line Kat was using.

"Yes." Kat answered curtly. She reminded herself she was supposed to be a scared, weak little girl and altered her tone. "What plans have you made?"

"Two days from now I will meet you at my office building in downtown L.A. It is called 'The Dragon's Gate' and is located on the corner of Beaudry and 3rd street, right beside the Pacific Stock Exchange. You will meet me there at 12pm. Come into the lobby and take the middle elevator to the top floor. I'll be waiting for you there. Come alone."

"How will I know you kept your word and let my friends go?"

"When I have you I will no longer have need of them. I will let them go."

"I want to hear you give the order. I want you to do it in front of me." Kat bargained, knowing it was unnecessary since if all went well she'd have everyone freed by then anyway. "You'll tell the people holding them to let them go where I can hear you do it."

Danny Williams was giving her looks like what she was doing was foolish. Kat knew that drawing attention to letting her friends go wasn't the smartest thing she could have done, but she also knew if she didn't ask about them at all Sergei would figure something was up.

"Yes, yes, it matters little to me. When you are here in my office I will let them go."

"Fine. I'll be at 'The Dragon's Gate' at 9pm in two days."

"Yes, you will do that if you want your friends to live. Tell no one where you are going or why or I will kill them anyway. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I hear ya." Kat hung up her phone and turned to the group. "Ok, it's done. I'm supposed to meet him in two days at the office building."

"I still don't know how this is going to work." Danny held his head in his hands.

"Well, we're gonna get Sean and Jesse and then when I'm supposed to turn myself over instead we'll invade the office building and get my mom back. I mean, Sergei has no idea what you're up to does he?" Kat asked Danny.

"No. Point being?"

"You can go back to him and be inside when he plans to make the exchange for me can't you?"

"Yes, but there would be no guarantee that he would allow me to be there when it goes down. He doesn't let me in on everything he does."

"Well then cop boy it's your job to make sure he lets you be there for this." With that Kat spun on her heel and turned on the TV to MTV. Danny Williams looked after her in shock. He leaned over to Brian.

"Is she always this..." Danny clearly didn't even have a word for what he was trying to call Kat.

"Not always." Brian paused, clearly understanding what the other man was getting at even if Danny didn't have words for it. "She was a totally different person till this all happened. She was really sweet and spunky and almost too young for her age. She's changed into someone hard and I don't like it at all."

"Classic disassociation issues due to the shock?" Danny speculated.

"I'm not sure. Either that or she's projecting another personality so that the real Kat doesn't have to deal with these issues. I'm no shrink so I don't know what's really going on. But she seems like she has a lot of practice doing whatever it is she's doing."

"Yeah, it does. But she needs to calm the hell down if we're going to pull this off. It's not going to be easy."

"I don't think its calming down she needs to do. Chilling out maybe but I'd say she's pretty calm as it is."

Kat was busy trying to do just as Danny had suggested she do. She was about to explode with all the negative talk going on. She didn't want to hear it and it was making her mad. She was doing ok in her opinion because if she had fully reverted to her old self she would have simply mauled the man for annoying her. She'd come a long way from those days. And that was why she was so scared to return to them.

She sat down and waited for them to figure out what to do first. After ten minutes went by and no one seemed any closer to any sort of action she stood up with a sigh and looked at Brian and Danny, who were still talking together in a corner.

"Well?" Kat asked impatiently.

"Well what?" Brian asked, figuring he'd do his best to prevent Danny and Kat from as much direct contact as he could.

"What are we waiting for? What are we gonna do about all this?"

"We're trying to figure that out now." Danny answered, taking a short tone of voice.

"What's to figure? We got two days, let's get to it."

"It's not that easy. It's not like we can just walk into one of Sergei's businesses and just walk out with your friends. Someone would be bound to tell Sergei his house is under attack."

"So we talk them quietly and no one knows." Kat answered slowly, as though she were talking to a small child.

"Then when someone notices them missing, and someone would, and reports that to Sergei, anyone we haven't gotten to yet gets moved and ends up under ten times as much guard as they are now."

"Ok, fine. So at least we now have some sort of plan. We know we have to time all three rescues on the same day and likely within a few hours of each other. We can leave Ivan in the first house and Josef in the next. They can maintain radio contact since they can speak Russian."

"Don't you think their father will know their voices over the radio?" Danny asked Kat, feeling challenged that the girl was coming up with decent plans when he was supposed to be the FBI agent here, not her. He'd thought he'd be running the op, he'd never had a clue that some group of thugs lead by a girl smaller and younger then his kid sister would be telling him what to do.

"Not if they disguise their voices and even then the radio will change the sound of their voices somewhat. Not to mention how many times to you honestly think Sergei deals with this shit over the radio himself? He'd have to get clued in there was an issue before he'd alarm himself over it. He's likely busy wining and dining the associates who've flown in from god knows where."

"She's right." Ivan broke in. "Sergei is out of town till the day that he is to meet Kat at 'Dragon's Gate'. I heard him telling Boris this before Josef and I left. He's meeting the Russian delegation in San Bernardino."

"We still can't go after anyone till the day of the exchange." Danny insisted. "He'll still radio back and have them moved if he gets wind of anything funny. He's got about 5 other properties in California alone. Not to mention he's got ties in Florida, New York, New Jersey, Detroit, maybe even more that he doesn't feel are worth mentioning."

"Texas and Arizona." Josef tossed out. "Those are the only two big ones you missed. He has small amounts of his army in most states but large amounts of his men in the others that were mentioned. If he gets wind of this whole plan he can move your friends and our mother so many times and so far away they may never surface. Or he might just kill them all. He is, after all, a sadistic bastard."

"I can see why we have to do the whole thing in one big strike in one day but we can't go in blind. We need to go do some scout work in the two days we have to make plans of action. We can't just storm the houses. We need to know how to get in and what way to approach." Kat looked around at the assembled group. Her band of brothers and the scared racing family she had been all set to adopt as her own.

She knew it would kill the Tigers and the Toretto's to sit around and wait on disaster to strike. They had to keep busy and one good way would be to go out and scout the neighbourhoods in question and make plans for where to stash cars, people, ways to approach buildings and ways to hide from security cameras and also try to find out what other kinds of security they'd be dealing with.

"The weakness of the Long Beach house is the private beach. There's no way to patrol the whole thing so it is, for the most part, unsecured. We can easily come up the beach, into the tree line on the right hand side and pretty much just stroll up to the house. We might have to take out the odd guard but there's lots of places to tie them up and hide them." Danny told the group, not sure if he wanted to do any in person scout work. He figured he knew enough about the properties in question to set up plans from the relative security of Connor's house.

"If you think we are taking the time to knock out and tie up Russian thugs you got another thought comin." Connor broke in. "We're shooting to kill as many of the fuckers as we can."

"As long as they go down clean and silent." Josef said. "If they can reach their radios, or if anyone hears the shots it will bring all kinds of hell down on our heads."

"That's what silencers are for." Connor smirked, than looked at Danny sheepishly, since most of the kinds of weaponry he was talking about were illegal. Danny shot a pointed look at Connor's own handgun.

"What do you have that kind of weapon for."

"Hunting." Connor tossed out.

"Hunting what?" Danny asking incredulously.

"Dogs and rats mostly." Connor answered, deadpan.

"Never mind." Danny let the subject go. He bit into the next one to enter his head. "There is every chance that Sergei has his men outfitted in bullet proof armour."

"That is what hollow point rounds are for." Kat held Danny's gaze.

"If you have them." Danny trailed off. "But of course you all do. Ok. So shoot to kill. If not you better knock the target out of commission. I don't care how you do that but make it quiet and make sure he can't get up, away or call for help on his radio."

"Ok, so that's an idea about the beach house. What about the Bel Air house?" Dom asked, worried about Jesse.

"That's going to be harder. However, the back corner is dark, and there are trees we can climb to get over the wall that encloses the estate. Once we're over the fence we'll be in a dark corner that the cameras don't see. But we will have to leave this corner to get to the house. We're likely to be seen by someone in this case. It's hardly likely we'll make it to the house without getting caught."

"Then how are we gonna get Jesse out?" Leon asked, his worry making him far less easy going then was his norm.

"We're going to have to subdue every one of Sergei's men. This is where we will have to let Ivan or Josef pretend to be one of the soldiers on the estate and keep up radio contact with Sergei's base. It can't get back to Sergei that he has a problem till after we are all in position at 'Dragon's Gate' downtown."

"I still don't see how we're going to win that one." Connor bit out. "It's an office building. How are we going to get anywhere in there without him seeing us, knowing exactly where we are?"

"We are going to let Kat head to the elevator like planned. Once she is past the security booth then we are going to take out the security guard manning the camera station. Sergei still has control over the cameras from his penthouse suite. But we can hope that since he still won't know everything is not statis quo he will only be watching Kat's progress up to him, not the rest of the building. We'll need to pick a few other smaller people to use the air system to get up to the top floor of the building to support the recue of Kat and her mom."

"I will not need anyone to rescue me, thank you." Kat growled. "I can take lots of care of myself."

"But you'll need to look like the scared little girl he's expecting, not like Gangster Thug Barbie." Danny growled back, sick of being undermined by female criminal.

Kat curled her hands into claws and started to run at Danny Williams. Danny moved toward her, as ready for the clash as she was. Just before Kat would have sunk her claws into Danny's face and Danny would have had his hands around Kat's throat, Connor got a hold of Kat and Brian held Danny back.

"This is not helping." Brian shouted at both the people being restrained from throttling each other in Connor's living room.

"You betta check yo boy before I check him for you!" Kat pointed a finger at Brian.

"I'm the one who knows what's going on here, not you!" Danny yelled back at Kat before Brian could say a thing.

"Yeah, you got lotsa know. You didn't know where your own sister was till today. You sure as hell don't know me. When you're in our house you betta watch your step." Kat snarled at Danny.

"You better watch that bitchy mouth when you talk to me girlie. You need me more then I need you. My relationship with my family is none of your damn business." Danny spun on his heel to walk away and walked smack into Vince's fist.

"Damn that felt good." Vince laughed down at Danny who was slowly getting back up off the floor shaking his head and testing his now throbbing jaw. He pointed down at Danny. "That was for how you treated Nys and for calling our Kitten a bitch. You better watch that back." The last sentence was delivered in a snarl of warning.

"Ok, let's put this on the back burner for now and go check out these neighbourhoods people. Tigers, mount up." Connor called.

They broke up into groups and went to drive out to check out what was in store for them in a mere 48 hours, slightly less.


	67. Broken Smile

Chapter 67 – Broken Smile

Kat took her bike out under the protest of both Connor and Stacy. Neither of them wanted to see her riding something so dangerous and fast in her frame of mind but she wasn't taking no for an answer. She did wait for Connor and a few of the other Tigers to get their own bikes out of the garage but then she was off like a rocket. Connor did his best to keep up with her and did ok, but his bike wasn't as new or as designed for insane speed as Kat's was.

Kat had only one thing on her mind, seeing the house where Sean was being kept. She figured if she could just see it, just know he was there, she would somehow feel more confident about the whole undertaking. She raced through the night time streets like they were lit by the midday sun. She'd memorized the route to where Sean was and she simply picked out the shortest path out to the Bel Air neighbourhood Sean was in. The others simply followed in her wake. The Toretto's were in their cars some distance behind due to the difference in speed between a sport bike and a sports car.

Kat was leaning low over the tank of the bike, all her hair tucked under her black helmet which came equipped with black out visor. She had the visor down even though it was night time just in case anyone should see her. She knew her step father wasn't expecting a motorcycle riding hoyden two days from now, he was expecting a scared little girl, a girlie girl who wore dresses and toe shoes. She had to almost figure that she could walk right up to Sergei in her motorcycle leathers and he'd never know who she was. He was still holding onto a 5 year old image of her.

She skidded onto the street Sergei's house was on and let the bike coast along. The rest of the Tigers followed her lead. They didn't need to draw attention to the fact a strange pack of people on bikes were roving the neighbourhood. It wasn't the type of neighbourhood to get a lot of bike gang traffic. The pulled up in shadows across the street from the house itself and a few houses down. The Toretto's pulled up a few moments later and followed suit, cutting lights and engines before they could become intrusive to the normal evening routine.

"So this is it huh?" Connor asked the group in general and Danny Williams answered.

"Yeah. This is it. Have we all seen enough now? Can we leave before someone sees us?"

Kat took her visor up on her helmet, knowing taking it off would likely draw attention to her pale hair, even in the shadows they'd found under an old oak tree. "No, we have not seen enough. How are we supposed to get in there again?"

Danny pointed down the north wall. "See that tree?" Kat nodded. "Well, there's another tree inside the fence as you can tell and it will make the perfect place to land. We'll go over there." Danny figured there was no point continuing to fight with the girl since it was clear no matter what she said everyone was going to take her side. They obviously treated her specially.

"I still don't know why we don't just go get him now and leave one of my brothers there to keep radio contact." Kat scowled and looked around the house. They were lucky the house was on the corner of two streets meeting and they didn't have to cut across any one else's property to get to the shady area that Danny had indicated.

"There's too much chance of Sergei dropping in and finding all his men incapacitated that way. If he finds all his men knocked out and one of his sons maintaining radio contact without calling for backup he's going to know they've both gone native on him and he'll move the other two."

Kat sighed. "I guess." She got back on her bike. "Let's go check out Long Beach."

"That's a bit of a ride." Danny said, glancing at the people riding astride.

"Thanks for the concern but even though it's been awhile I'll be fine on the bike. If you guys don't want to come you don't have to but I have to see this place tonight or I'm gonna go insane." Kat finished and flicked her visor down. Danny gave her a look that clearly said he figured she was already insane. She caught his look, shrugged, started her bike as quietly as she could and gave a hand signal to her group to move out. They all followed her out of the shade at a dull roar. As soon as they were a few minutes away that dull roar became an all out cry as Kat and her friends opened up the throttle on the bikes.

Dom in his RX-7 and Vince driving Nyssa's Skyline were doing a credible job of keeping up with the bikers as was Leon in his own Skyline but most of the other cars had fallen behind.

Danny had no idea why he was still involved in the whole mess in which he'd found himself. He was not use to being this out of control. Even when he was working for Sergei he was in a position of authority. Only the man himself and his older son had any say over his position in Sergei's world. Now he was essentially taking orders from a girl who looked like she was about 15 years old and a group of people that under normal circumstances he'd toss in jail. He could understand her being upset but she was so pushy and arrogant. And her friends just pushed her on and made her think it was fine for her to be how she was.

He could get her friend back with on his own with a few of his co-workers from the FBI. But they hadn't wanted that, they wanted to go in like Rambo and play rescue heros instead. He'd agreed to help, to be the inside contact for them but he honestly hadn't known what he'd been getting himself into.

Not to mention being reunited with his sister the way he had been. That had been a huge shock. He'd known it was going to hit Nyssa hard to be told he was dead but the promotion had been huge and had been his way into undercover work, just what he'd always wanted.

He'd known that with their father in jail there wouldn't be anywhere for Nyssa to go but the bureau had assured him that they'd take care of her, that she'd be ok. To find out that they'd left her without a penny to her name and with that abusive asshole their silly, flighty mother had married had been a huge shock to him. He had never thought that the bureau would mess up so bad.

And they'd driven his sweet, innocent, baby sister into the arms of a thug. A gun carrying, street racing, trash talking, scruffy, disreputable criminal. A street racing, disreputable criminal who was driving his legitimately built Skyline in street racing. A criminal who'd corrupted his baby sister into street racing herself. A gun carrying thug who was sleeping with his sweet little baby sister. It was almost more then Danny could take. Not to mention his sister had been exposed to the horrible influences of both Kat and this Letty girl who lived with Dominic Torreto. Kat was the worst influence he could have hoped for. She talked trash and looked and acted just like the Gangster Thug Barbie he'd accused her of being.

The whole lot of them didn't have to worry, he knew all about the little truck incident, as it was now referred to in the bureau, and he was none too thrilled to be working with Brian Earl Spilner, AKA Brian Edward O'Connor. O'Connor had flipped and gone Native on both his own PD and the bureau.

All over some Italian broad.

As far as Danny was concerned fellow officers were blood, brothers, and blood was thicker then water and brothers came before broads. He didn't care that as far as Bilkens and the FBI were concerned O'Connor had redeemed himself. He hadn't redeemed himself to most of the officers on the force.

He put his mind back on the road and tried to keep it off the man driving what use to be his favorite possession. _His_ Skyline.

Leon was also holding his own with the crowd of bikes. He knew they were going slower then they could so that the cars could sort of keep up with them. He watched Kat take one hand off her handlebars, flip her visor up and yell something at Connor, who yelled back. They both then flipped their visors down and sped off alone together, leaving the other Tigers and the cars behind as they raced off down the highway.

It was clear that Connor could not keep up with Kat. He tried but in the end she got ahead of him and stayed there. By a considerable margin at that. Leon didn't know how she did it, was so fearless when it came to any kind of speed at all. Vince and Letty of all people had a phase of motorcycle riding but when they'd tried to teach him he'd done it once and went back to his car. Scared the shit out of him.

It was so much ready power, so much more so then even the Skyline. The wind was right there, whistling past your head and shoulders, hips and legs. The ground was too close at every turn, the cars too close at all times. There hadn't been enough metal between him and all the other people sharing the road so he'd given up on it. Hadn't been for him was the reason he gave Vince. He'd never have admitted he was too scared to do something Letty was reasonably good at but he had been.

Kat it seemed had no such issues. All he could see of her was her uniquely shaped tail light. He knew that she was barely keeping her cool with him and he hoped it was just because of the stress she was under and what he'd said to her the last time they talked. He was still hoping when the dust settled they'd be able to talk things over.

He hoped nothing went horrible wrong and took the focus away. He had to settle some things with her. Owed her a huge apology. Dom pulled up beside him in the other lane and waved. Leon waved back and hit the gas.

It had been a long time since he'd raced Dominic and it was just the sort of thing that might take his mind off things for awhile. He and Dom were fairly closely matched and Leon had known at first that his job and his place to live had depended on Dom's good will, so he'd never raced to win after the first time. He'd kicked Dom's ass the first time, but he'd had to prove the point that he could drive and the kid could build cars.

He sighed when he thought about Jesse. The kid had already been through so much and Leon didn't like it one bit that he was being put through even more. It seemed unfair that they cleaned up their act only to have something they really had nothing to do with come back and bite them in the ass like it had. And it wasn't fair that it was Jesse that it had happened to. If this guy wanted to get back at Kat then Leon figured that he should be were Jesse was. Jesse and Kat were just friends, it was Leon who'd been involved with her. He knew his guilt that it was Jesse who'd been taken not him had been a large reason why he'd treated Kat like he had.

But that didn't make it ok.

Dom watched the round tail lights of the Skyline rush away from him and smiled. So Leon wanted a bit of a challenge did he? Dom was ready to oblige him.

"You gonna take that Dom?" Letty asked from beside him. He put his hand on her knee for a second.

"Of course not baby." With that he used his hand to downshift into 4th and then 3rd, his RX-7 able to rev way higher then Leon's Skyline. He started to gain on his friend.

"Think you can catch him?" Letty asked cheekily.

"Hell yeah." Dom answered and pushed the A/C button, causing the assembly to pop out of his dash and reveal his 'magic NOS button'. Letty laughed as Dom pushed the button and the two were tossed back into their seats. The rushed rapidly up beside the roaring Skyline and soon came level with Leon's passenger side window again. Dom this time waved and hit his NOS again. Leon could only watch as the small red car zoomed out of his sphere.

"Zoom Zoom!" Leon parroted the Mazda commercials and hit his NOS, racing up behind Dom again.

Kat glanced back in her rearview and saw Connor was only a few yards off her tail. She moved her gaze farther back still and saw the dueling yellow and red cars. She laughed. She figured the racing bug was therapeutic for more then just herself. Her theory was pretty much confirmed when she saw the purple Skyline join the battle. She turned her gaze back to the road ahead.

And realized she was rushing up at the rear end of a car much too fast to avoid hitting it by slowing down. She cut out into the left lane sharply and narrowly missed the car that was there. Righting herself she roared ahead and cut back into her previous lane and hit the gas again. She was embarrassed by her mistake and wanted to get away from anyone who might have seen, figuring she was in for it when they got back home. Either Connor would pick on her for her slip or he'd yell at her for almost getting herself killed.

This motorcycle thing was more complicated then she remembered and she admonished herself to keep her mind on it, not foolish people playing foolish games.

Everyone had seen Kat's close call and the horseplay stopped afterward. They had things to do and it didn't include anyone having a wreck. They pulled into Long Beach. Kat stopped the bike at a roadside gas station and set it on its kick stand. She got off and leaned on the side, helmet under her arm, enigmatic look on her face. She was waiting for Connor to bring it on. She figured she was in for a doosie of a lecture. Connor pulled into the station a few minutes after Kat.

"You shouldn't be on that thing!" Connor didn't disappoint her. He opened in a deceptively calm voice.

"I made a mistake." Kat answered and shrugged. The rest of the group caught up and got out of their cars.

"You made a mistake that coulda got you killed!" Connor switched to yelling.

"Oh well." Kat said, unfeeling, and looked at her nails. "Besides, I didn't did I?"

"You would have if you'd been one second slower."

"Yeah, well I wasn't so get over it!" Kat snapped and yelled back at her friend.

"I want you to leave that thing here and ride with me for the rest of the night." Connor said in his most reasonable tone.

"Hell no. I'm fine. I'm riding my own bike. Everyone makes mistakes Connor."

"Not you Kat. Not when it comes to driving that bike or your car. It just shows how far off the road your mind is and you can't ride like that."

"I lost concentration for one second Connor Black, and it's not like you've never done it before." Kat said in a very firm tone. "This conversation is over. I'm not riding bitch with you and I'm not leaving my bike here."

"Fine, see if we care if you turn yourself into a grease spot on some highway!"

"Fine, maybe I will then!" Kat snapped and got back on the bike and kicked it over with a roar. "Lead the way to this fucken house cop boy." She glared at Danny.

Danny started to turn red and obviously had something to say. Dom leaned over and said something low to the man. Whatever Dom said made Danny calm down some and he moved back to Brian's car where he had been riding.

Brian and Danny moved out and the rest followed. Kat brought up the rear, not wanting to think about people staring at her back. Connor stayed close.

They found the spot they'd work from when they moved in for real and scouted the beach. They then decided to head for Connor's house again. This time Kat took off as fast as she could. She arrived home some time before the rest of the group and by the time they got back to Connor's she'd taken the Skyline and left a note telling them all that she'd left for home.

Stacy and Kale decided they wanted to stay at Connor's for awhile to give Kat a chance to cool off, but Dom and his group decided to go home since there wasn't anything further they could really do for about 36 hours. They were about half an hour behind Kat.

When they pulled into their own driveway Leon looked over and saw Kat's garage door was open and the inside was lit up like midday. He decided to go over and try to talk to her, just to see if she'd hear him out. She was clearly trying to live on the edge and he thought maybe if they settled some things she might calm down.

He walked slowly up her driveway, feet dragging. He knew he could be in for a knock down drag out fight and he wasn't looking forward to that possibility. He got to the garage door and looked in. Kat was leaned over the left side reaching down in behind the intake toward the turbos.

"Whatchya doin?" Leon asked from the door, not fully in the half moon of light from the garage so his face was still shadowed.

Kat looked up. She'd know the voice anywhere, she didn't need to see the face. "Car's not working right." She growled and looked back down into the engine compartment.

She couldn't believe on top of all the other things that had been going wrong she'd have car trouble too. It was the height of unfair. She tucked a piece of hair that had missed her ponytail behind her ear.

"What's wrong with it?" Leon asked and moved closer. She hadn't told him to go fuck himself, a good sign he was sure.

"One of the turbos isn't spooling up. It's lagging like a sonabitch."

"So what are you doing to it now?"

"Removing the turbos so I can find out which one."

"That's a big job. You want a hand?"

"You saying you don't think I can do it on my own?" Kat looked up, on her defensive.

"No. Just offering." Leon said and looked down.

"I guess." Kat conceded ungracefully.

"Well, if you're sure?" Leon gave her a final out.

"Yeah, it's fine. I guess I could use a hand getting the intake stuff off." Kat moved over and Leon grabbed one of her socket sets out of the open tool box and started taking the intake duct work off. They worked in silence for awhile. He thought the whole time about how he could broach the topic he really wanted to talk to her about. He decided he'd just have to go ahead and do it.

"Kat?"

"Yeah?" She grunted as she started to loosen the nuts holding her strut tower brace against the pillars of the engine bay.

"I want to tell you something."

"Ok." Kat didn't look at him, she just kept working. Leon took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you last night."

"Really?" Kat asked sarcastically. She wasn't going to make it easy. He had to admit he'd have been more shocked if she had gone easy on him.

"Yeah, really. I guess...Well...I was just more upset with myself then you but I took it out on you."

"I see." Leon could tell she didn't really, but thought it was the right thing to say.

"No, you don't. I guess I was feeling guilty about the fact that it was Jesse that was involved. It should be me in that house right now not the kid and I took how I felt about that out on you. I'm sorry." Leon lifted on of the intake assemblies out of the car and went to work on the other one.

"You were right to take it out on me. I did bring it all on. I've accepted it, so should you." Kat glanced at Leon and went back to her work again. She was being far to flip about the whole thing to suit Leon.

"No I should not have blamed you, I should have blamed the asshole who started the whole mess because he's the only one who did anything wrong. But I mean, it was only almost a year ago that Jesse was almost killed, and that should have been me too. I was the one who went along with Dom and Jesse always went along with me. He never should have been involved and it was all my fault for always going with the crowd and never doing my own thing. If I'd have told Dom no way then Jesse would have followed my lead and stayed out of it too."

"The kid threw down a slip to a car he didn't own at race wars. How is that your fault?" Kat glanced his way again and then again turned back to her car.

"I set the example when I got the Skyline and I didn't stop him. I let him do it. He thought the driving he did with Dom had made him better to the point he could run with Tran and instead of tell him no way I let him do it."

"And never letting people make mistakes is so great for them too. That's why I'm so perfect. What would you rather, that he ended up as spoilt and self centered as I am." She gave him a sarcastic, broken smile.

Hearing her put herself down again was more then Leon could take. He felt responsible for the first time Jesse got hurt, he felt responsible for Jesse being involved in the mess he was in now, and he felt responsible for Kat feeling how she did about herself. He tried to fight it.

First he just sniffled. He kept working and he thought he was going to be fine. But then he thought about the fight that Kat had with Connor at the gas station and remembered just how low her opinion of herself really was and then sniffling wasn't enough.

"Do you want a Kleenex?" Kat asked, having no idea why Leon was sniffing all of a sudden. He just shook his head and tried to retain his composure. A tear fell off Leon's cheek and splashed onto the second intake. "Are you crying?" Kat asked incredulously.

"No." Leon lied and kept working, looking down.

"Yes you are. Why?"

"Because it's all my fault. Jesse, and how you talk about yourself, all of it. I did that to you. I'm the one who's horrible, not you." Leon gave up pretending like he wasn't crying. It was hard work and it was obvious she knew he was.

Kat couldn't believe he was really sorry for all he'd said. She had felt like he was right, and to find out he'd hadn't really meant it but said it out of anger that was more with himself then with her made her feel better somehow, like it was understandable if not justifiable that he acted that way. But then she felt bad that any guy as tough as Leon had been driven to cry in front of another person. She knew she hated it and she imagined that he must feel the same way.

She took a step closer to him and gently touched her fingertip to one of the wet tracks on his cheek as if to reassure herself that the whole situation was for real. He looked down at her, watched something soften in her eyes. She looked like the epitome of woman in that moment with her melting green eyes.

Melting for him.

She tentatively wrapped her arms around his waist, offering comfort but unsure if it was welcomed or not. She tightened her own grip when he wrapped her in a crushing embrace of his own and sobbed into her hair. She lay her head on his chest and gave in to her own tears with quiet grace. After a few minutes he lifted his head, feeling much better after getting his feelings out.

"Kitten?"

"Um?" She murmured without lifting her head.

"Do you think we have a chance?"

"A chance at what?" There were so many issues going on in her life right now she didn't know how to answer that without knowing if he meant a chance to figure out what was wrong with her car, or a chance to win the war against her stepfather.

"A chance at us?"


	68. Life on the Savanna

Chapter 68 – Life on the Savanna

"Wonder why Leon didn't come in the house?" Mia mused to Brian as they got ready for bed after arriving home.

"I guess you missed the light coming out of the garage across the street." Brian sighed as he slid between the cool sheets on the bed.

"You think he went over there? After everything?" Mia asked, surprised.

"I'd bet money on it." Brian answered her and held the blankets up to Mia in invitation. An invitation she ignored as she continued to pace around their bedroom.

"But after everything that happened... You don't think she killed him do you?" Mia spun and looked at Brian, serious. Brian looked back, trying hard to subdue his laughter. He couldn't imagine Kat killing Leon, no matter what happened.

"No, I don't think she killed him. I hope they're _making up_." Brian put emphasis on making up.

"Oh." Mia blushed and giggled. "You think?"

"I don't know. I just said I hope. I thought that was what you wanted?"

"I do. I really do. They seem so perfect for each other. And Nyssa seemed so sure of it." Mia mused. Brian groaned.

"Don't start with this Nyssa business again. She has a well developed sense of intuition is _all_."

"Well Bri, I don't know how you explain how she does what she does but all I know is she knows things, things she shouldn't." Mia frowned at him gave him one of her quelling looks he hated.

"Ok, ok." They'd been there before and Brian had no desire to go into it again. He didn't know how Nyssa did what she did and he didn't really want to think about it again. He preferred to use 'out of sight out of mind' to explain it. Her sixth sense about those around her made him uncomfortable. "I'm just saying if he is over there and they're talking or something it's a good thing right?"

"Of course! I hope this whole thing works out Brian. **All** of it. I don't even want to think about what poor Jesse is going through."

"I know Mia, but it's going to be ok. We'll get him back, and Sean, and deal with Kat's step dad. Then life can go back to normal for us all."

"I don't think I know what normal is anymore Brian. I don't think Toretto's can have normal lives." Mia started to cry. "They always end up losing people they love and making bad decisions. Something bad is always happening to me'n Dom or the people we care about." Brian got up and went to her, stroking her hair.

"Shush Mi. It's gonna be fine. You'll see. We're gonna get married as soon as this is all settled ok? Then we'll settle down and just be a normal married couple with the house and the yard. A white picket fence and maybe even a dog. What about 2.5 kids?" Brian looked down at his fiancé with a small, slightly unsure of himself grin. "You'll see, it'll be so darn normal you'll wish for some drama."

"Really? You want to set a date?" Mia looked up in shock. She'd been surprised when Brian had proposed but she went with it because she wanted to be married. She hadn't been surprised at all when he'd balked at setting a date. Now that he was ready, and less then a year after his proposal, she was finally surprised.

"Well, once everyone is home and everything is settled. I don't want to take anything away from Kat's predicament by announcing we're finally ready to make plans."

"Of course not." Mia looked like she never would have suggested it anyway. And of course, she wouldn't of. "But when everyone is home and settled again?" Mia asked. Brian nodded.

"We'll rope Letty and Dom into sitting down and helping us plan, since I assume you want Letty as your maid of honor."

"Of course. But who will be your best man? You can't have Dominic, I want him to give me away."

"I'll either have Leon or Jesse, or Dom can just walk you down then move into position as my best man. That'll all work out."

"I love you Brian." Mia said, looking up at Brian with that love clearly shining in her eyes.

"I love you too." Brian replied and pulled Mia to his chest. They went to bed, feeling more secure in what was, for both teams involved, a very insecure world.

"Ouch." Kat exclaimed as she rapped her knuckles on a sharp edge in behind the engine of her Skyline.

"Whatcha do?" Leon asked her as he looked up from the final bolt of his 'assignment' on the car. Kat was very protective over her Skyline and she'd been watching him like a hawk all the while pretending she wasn't watching him at all.

They'd gone back to fixing it after they'd both gained some composure. It was like they had both needed something to get their mind off their mutual lapse. Working on the Skyline felt normal and everyday for both of them so they'd fallen into a comfortable rhythm working on the car together. Leon doing just what he was told to avoid cutting looks from flashing green eyes. She was like a mother tiger watching over her cub. She might have given birth to the tigers on the side rather then just have painted them she was so particular about how her 'baby' was cared for.

"Cut my damn hand on the manifold." Kat said as she brought her bleeding finger up to her mouth instinctively. Leon watched her with a great deal of interest. "What?" She asked, seeing the look on his face.

Leon still couldn't wrap his mind around anyone who worked on cars dressed like Kat had a tendency to dress while she worked at home. She must have just pulled her leathers off and went at the car in what she had on under it. Which wasn't much, a white sports bra and tight, low cut white terry cloth short shorts. Her hair was mostly tied back into a ponytail, the few wisps that escaped it lent her a youthful, venerable air.

"Let me see it." Leon took Kat's hand away from her face and looked. "I don't think you'll need stitches but it should be cleaned."

"I just cleaned it." Kat licked her lips.

"That might count on the savanna but in my world it needs peroxide and a Band-Aid." Leon chuckled.

"On the savanna?" Kat questioned.

"Yeah, like tigers might lick their wounds clean but humans need proper medical care not to get infections."

"You're clever." Kat retorted sarcastically, but was smiling when she said it.

"I try. I have to be just a bit faster then Vince to stay one step ahead of him. Other wise I'd never eat." That did make Kat laugh.

"I think I have some stuff in the bathroom."

"We should clean that up before you get anything into it that will infect it."

"Yeah, ok." Kat started into the house and looked back over her shoulder to see if he was following her. He looked like he had been but had stopped. "You commin or am I supposed to do this myself? With one hand out of commission it might be hard to use a Band-Aid."

"Ok, if you're that helpless..." Leon followed her up the steps out of her garage into the house after he closed the garage door to protect Kat's tools from anyone with sticky fingers who might walk by while they were gone.

"What do you think V?" Nyssa asked her boyfriend as she leaned on him while they watched some TV in their basement living room to wind down for bed.

"'Bout what?" Vince grunted as he ate another fist full of chips.

"This whole thing. Do you think we can pull it off?"

"Yeah. The scum ball that messed with Jesse is as good as dead." Vince said around a mouthful of chips, which he promptly swallowed and then reloaded his mouth.

"How can you say something like that while you calmly stuff your mouth?"

"You want me to lie to you about it? I will. If you want me to say that I'm gonna find the guy and tie him up and give him to good old Danny boy to take to jail I will." Vince said with his mouth full, acting like he was talking about basketball scores with Leon, not discussing his desire to kill someone with his girlfriend.

"But you don't intend to let my brother do his job at all do you? You plan on killing Sergei."

"If Kat doesn't beat me to it." More crunching followed this utterly uncalm statement made in a totally calm voice.

"You can't think Kat will kill someone!"

"Has before, why would I think she wouldn't do it now?" Vince glanced at Nyssa briefly and then went back to his snack and TV program.

"What do you mean she's done it before?" Nyssa asked, shrilly.

"Just what I said. You didn't watch much news about Central and Downtown L.A. in high school did you?"

"I didn't have much cause living with my Dad in our house or living with my brother. Or Ed for that matter. What's that have to do with any of it?"

"The White Tiger is Kat remember?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I did see the news. Let's just say I use to have some, well, business, in Kat's neck of L.A. The White Tiger was not someone anyone messed with. Not with 'him' or his friends. Still floors me that 'he' is a she. But anyway, she, I guess, was ruthless. The people who messed with her friends are all dead at her hand, and other people's deaths were attributed to her too. That's why I didn't fight her on her insistence to play an active role when I told you there was no way you were coming along. Kat can take care of herself." Vince filled his mouth again and contentedly crunched away.

"But she seems so nice." Nyssa looked shocked. She hadn't had any idea. Her wealthy then very unsettled upbringing had sheltered her from the seedier aspects of her home town. She couldn't believe there were areas of town where nice girls like Kat killed men for sins against their friends and territories.

"She is nice. Sometimes nice people are driven to do not nice things. I don't think the Kat we got to know is totally the same girl. She's different since she went back to Connor's. Can't you feel it?"

"Yeah, but I didn't know just what I was feeling." Nyssa admitted.

"Don't worry about it. She'll do her Tiger thing while she needs to and she'll go back to being the Kat we know when it's all done. It'll be fine."

"I don't think it'll be that simple Vince." Nyssa worried. Vince just gave her one of his looks that let her know he thought she was over-reacting and merrily demolished the rest of his chips.

"You ready?" Leon asked, peroxide bottle poised over her wound.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tough. I think I'll be ok. Go ahead." Kat sneered at his overly, in her opinion, gentle treatment of her.

"Ok." Leon upended the bottle over Kat's cut hand, which he had placed over the sink. She sucked a sharp breath despite her insistence of how tough she was.

"That stings."

"But it would hurt worse for it to get infected. Let's dry it off and get it covered." Leon grabbed a clean towel out of her linen closet and started to blot the cut dry.

"Hey that hurts!"

"The Band-Aid won't stick to wet skin." Leon finished drying her hand. "See, much better." He put the bandage on for her and gently kissed the area over it. "All done. Should I draw a happy face on it because you were such a good patient?"

Kat nodded, biting her lower lip to look sad, and try to stop from laughing at Leon. Then she gave up, threw her head back and laughed. She laughed till tears ran down her face and she was gasping or breath and her sides hurt. Leon joined her somewhere around the tears faze. It was so damn nice to be light and playful. Leon picked her up and after walking into her room where he had room, swung her around in circles.

She shrieked in laughter. "Put me down."

"Never!" He exclaimed and spun faster till they were both dizzy. He set her down and they both fell backwards onto her bed.

"The room is spinning so fast. I feel dizzier then when I'm drunk."

"Me too." They both laid looking at the ceiling till the room ceased its motion. "Wow it's late." Leon noticed her car shaped alarm clock said it was 1:30. Kat looked over.

"Yeah." She looked at Leon.

"I guess I should go home." Leon moved to get up off her bed.

"Leon?" She said his name like a question and it made him stop and look back at her.

"Yeah?"

"Would you be upset if I asked you not to leave me alone tonight?"

"I'd be upset if you didn't."

She held her arms open to him and after turning off her lights he took her up on her invitation.

"Dom?"

"Um?" A sleepy Dom answered Letty's inquisition.

"I'm scared." That admission washed the last vestiges of sleep from Dom's face.

"Of what?" He asked in mild shock. _ His_ Letty wasn't scared of anything, to his knowledge.

"How this is gonna end."

"It'll be fine Letty." Dom pulled her to his side and marveled at how perfectly her slight yet so strong form fit to him. She truly was his other half. He hated that she was so scared she was admitting she was scared.

"You don't know that. What if it's one of us that gets hurt or killed? What if something goes wrong and this asshole kills Jesse, what if one of us does something wrong and he gets us?"

"Let, all you can do is hold on to the fact that we're gonna do everything right. We have Brian and Danny. Plus Kat and all her friends seem like they can take care of themselves."

Letty only nodded. She had a strong feeling Dom was reacting with his usual bravado and seeming belief he was invincible. She, like most of the female contingent of the team had realized long ago she was not immortal at all. Her realization had mostly been the result of her crash in what was almost 'the Civic of death'. Or at least that was how she thought of the car that had almost claimed both her life and that of her former best friend Nyssa.

Thinking of what Nyssa had believed of her and Vince still hurt. Letty was both angry that she'd never gotten a chance to get revenge on the other girl for the whole incident, and upset that she even had a reason to want revenge on a person she'd come to care for so much. Letty was always so slow to warm up to other girls around the team, and she'd been able to trust Nyssa right away. Now she didn't know what to do about her, and figured she wouldn't get much sorted out about it till the whole thing with Jesse was over and done.

She did feel sorry for Nyssa, finding out her brother wasn't really dead. Nyssa had had a bad case of hero worship for her dead brother. Letty figured she'd forgotten all the not so great characteristics of Danny Williams in the year he'd been 'dead' and remembered only the great cop, the caring brother. Now she was getting a front row view of the selfishness of Danny and it had to suck.

She knew she needed her sleep so she burrowed her head further into Dom's neck and lost herself in the warmth of his body and the familiar smell of his skin. She sighed with final contentment as he kissed her hair. She slept.

Everyone, save the missing, was where they belonged.

Everyone, everything, was ok.

But for how long?


	69. Tiger Runs

Chapter 69 – Tiger Runs

Kat awoke to bright midmorning sun streaming in her window, illuminating the dust motes playing in the faint breeze from the open glass. Also upon awaking she realized her head was pillowed not on soft feathers but living muscle. It was novel, and not unpleasant, to wake with her head nestled on the pad of muscle between his shoulder and chest, made soft by his relaxed state, his deep breaths raising and lowering her head slightly with rhythmic cadence. She yawned and shifted, intending on falling back to sleep to enjoy the comfortable feelings a while longer, while she could.

"Mornin sleepyhead." At the uncommonly gruff drawl Kat looked up and met a pair of sleepy green eyes with her own.

"Mornin." She answered back, her own voice slightly rusty from lack of use. "What time's it?"

"10am. I woke up a few minutes ago. You sleep ok?"

"Like a baby." Kat stretched, yawned again and sat up reluctantly. She didn't want to leave the cocoon of safety which had been built by Leon's presence in her room. However, she knew that she could not waste the whole day lying in bed either. There was much to be done. "What about you?" She inquired of Leon as she got up and padded to the window of her room barefoot to steal a look at her street, still quiet as early morning despite the advanced hour of their awakening.

"Why'd you dye your hair like that?" Leon asked, sitting up in Kat's bed, studying her slight form from behind, watching as her newly streaked hair fell in tousled strands down her back. It was one of the things that had been bothering him since he'd first seen her at Connor's the evening before. The black blended with the blonde in a striking contrast, but not a flattering one. It was almost animalistic and Leon didn't care for it.

"Because The Tiger has streaked hair." Kat answered, not really wanting to go into these issues, knowing it was going to lead to questions she'd rather not answer. Knowing her answers made her sound slightly unbalanced. "Its temporary dye, it'll wash out in 7-10 shampoos." She quoted the dye packaging.

"Who's The Tiger?" Leon looked puzzled as Kat turned to face him. Kat realized that Leon honestly hadn't figured it out yet. His mental schemas of her would not let him incorporate the new information he had on her into his mind.

"I was." She seemed to consider her answer. "I am. I'm her when I put on that outfit," she pointed to the discarded leather outfit hanging off her closet door where she'd left it from the day before, "and let myself be her." Kat looked like she wasn't really getting her point across but wasn't sure how else to explain it. She shrugged her shoulders in a very feline movement and sighed. She didn't know how else to put it.

"Let yourself be her? I don't really follow you." Leon admitted and watched her pace like a caged tiger from window to dresser over and over again while she played with one of the onyx coloured pieces of her hair.

"I was her, back before, before I gave up being her. I had to kill her to let her go. She's the girl who could handle doing all the things that had to be done to survive life in the gang, to conquer that life and rise to the top of it. I use to love being her but now I loath it. I had to move, redesign the car, give up the motorcycle, start only using bright colours in my hair, start to dress like a normal girl again, and stop running around being a criminal to get her out of my head. It had to be like she died and was gone." Kat shook her head. "But she's the girl who can pull this off. Tiger can do it, Kitten can't. I had to bring her back because only The Tiger can pull this off. The whole thing would just eat me up like I am now. I'd break down and I'd never deal with it."

"You're only you Kat, you aren't two people."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong Leon." She stopped pacing and turned to look at him, square in the eye. No hiding the harsh reality from him this time. No hiding it from herself. Maybe she didn't have true multiple personalities but she had more or less convinced herself she did and that was close enough. But she was ready to acknowledge the fact, to herself and to Leon. He had to know what he was getting himself into. "That's how I coped with it all, with what I did. I split what she did from what I did in my head. I could deal with it because Tiger did all the bad stuff and she was tough enough and evil enough to not only live with doing it but do it and thrive. And as long as Tiger was the one who did it all then I could be upset she did it but I didn't have to be upset with myself over it because it wasn't the real me who did it. It was that other girl who lived in me and did bad things. She just took me along for the ride but the longer I thought of it the easier it became to turn off Kitten when Tiger was out on the prowl."

"I think I understand." Leon answered her. She gave him a small smile. "So, what do you want to do today?" Leon turned the subject. Thinking that his sweet Kitten really could have done the things that were credited to her was hard, no matter how she'd justified it to herself or how she'd managed to rationalize it in her own head. He didn't see her the way she was describing herself now because he'd never seen the part of her that she thought she'd killed off.

Kat didn't know how to answer. There was a lot that she thought had to be done. She didn't really want to do any of it. She shrugged and sat down on the end of the bed. "I don't really know."

"We could just stay here?" Leon cocked an eyebrow at Kat, waiting for her answer. She shook her head.

"I'd like to, but I think we have too much to do for that to happen. I should finish my car."

"Ok," Leon said. "We'll go finish your car then."

"I don't know why I care," Kat started to cry. "It's not like I'll ever see it again after tomorrow anyway."

"Shush, don't say that," Leon said softly as he pulled Kat's crying body against his own. "It's all gonna work out baby. I promise. This time two days from now everyone will be home and things will be back to normal."

"Things are never gonna be the normal we have now again Leon. Things are too changed. I mean, my mom's not dead. That's gonna change things enough. What if she hates me for what I've become?" Kat let out her biggest fear in the whole situation. She'd become what she had because of the very fact she had no mother and no father. Only two brothers who were too far gone themselves to throw stones at her for going the way of lawlessness. Now she had discovered she did have a mother after all. A mother who she figured was going to hate the fact that her little girl had not grown up to dance Giselle to packed houses but who had instead learned to work on race cars and shoot guns, cut drugs and dance in ways that ballet could never teach.

"Your mom could never hate you Kitten. She's still your mom. Nothing that's happened to you has been your fault." Leon continued rubbing her back softly as she cried against his shoulder, holding him for dear life.

"Don't say that!" Kat exclaimed, leaning back. "It was my fault. No one made me go out on drug deals. No one made me learn to shoot better then self defense. No one made me enact my own justice on people. No one made me learn to ride that motorcycle. I mean, do you even know why I wanted it?"

"Because it's faster and more maneuverable then the car?" Leon answered, trying to be practical.

"Because it's faster and easier to shoot from then from inside a car. I was like running death on that bike and now here I am, ready to ride or die again. No one made me do that Leon. The part of me that's still Tiger, despite all I've done to kill her is still looking forward to taking my revenge the old way. Part of me is looking forward to a bloody rampage. So don't try to paint me with the sweet little girl brush. It won't hold water."

"Ok, you've done some bad things. It's human to get off on some of it Kat. You think Me'n Vince didn't get off on what we did to those trucks? The fast, reckless driving, winning in civic up against a transfer truck, getting all that money, the notoriety. Everyone knew about what we were doing but no one could catch us. We were too fast, too furious, too good to be caught. That's a part of human nature. Few people in this world don't like to be the most powerful person they know."

"There's different kinds of powerful though. I should be one of the leading students in some fancy ballet school right now. That's the image my mom's had of me all these years to hold onto Le. A little girl in pink tights with her hair in a formal bun wearing toe shoes dancing to nutcracker suite at Christmas. The wicked girl in black leather with two huge guns is likely to kill her where Sergei failed."

"You did what you thought you had to do to get by Kat. Your mom likely will be shocked but she won't hold it against you. She's been missing you all these years Kitten, not some image of the perfect ballerina. You're strong, smart, and good at what you do. That's all that'll matter to her. I mean if you weren't who you are I doubt you could go up against your step father and come out on top. That little girl you're talking about would be terrified, she wouldn't have a clue what to do. She'd give herself up and that would be the end of her. Your mom wouldn't want to be released at your expense. You're going to be able to give her the gift of her freedom and add to it the gift of yourself to her when you get away too." Kat threw herself back into Leon's arms.

"How is it you know just what to say to me?" She asked, and it came out muffled by his shoulder.

"It's just the truth baby. Come on, let's get a move on. That picky car'a yours aint gonna fix itself."

With that they got up and got dressed, Leon in his clothes from the day before. Kat walked down the stairs ahead of Leon, his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. When they appeared in the door of the living room Kale and Stacy looked up. Stacy looked shocked, Kale looked relieved.

"Hey guys," Kat said, looking from one to the other.

"Mornin Kitten. Sleep well?" Stacy asked, sounding mildly sarcastic.

"Very well thanks. When did you guys get home?"

"Round 2am." Kale answered. "What's wrong with the Skyline?"

"Turbo's screwed up. We're gonna finish fixin it now," Kat replied and started to lead Leon out to the garage by the hand.

"I'm glad I didn't get the life pounded outta me. Your buddy Stacy has one hell of a hook," Leon joked once they were in the garage.

"In a situation like this I hope they trust my judgment," Kat answered and began to take apart the turbo feeding her first three cylinders.

Leon picked up the second turbo and started to disassemble it. Before he went too far he checked the turbine blades for play. As he spun it around he noticed several of the fins showed damage and there was play in the bearing. "I think I found your problem. The fins are broke and the bearing has play. The lag has to have been coming from here." Kat looked herself.

"I'd haveta say you're right. We may as well take your car down to Harry's and see if he has a replacement."

"I'm sure he will. The Garret T4 is a pretty common turbo." Leon said with a wink. It was a well known turbo. Kat wasn't sure how much she agreed with common, but there were enough cars pushing over 500 horsepower in the L.A. area that Harry was likely to keep parts in stock for the turbos on them.

"I'll show you common!" Kat threatened. She wrinkled up her brow in thought and put a hand on her hip. "Wait, didn't I already show you common when I kicked your ass? Or did I dream that one?" Kat giggled then squealed and ran as Leon made a dive for her, intent on making her pay for bringing up his loss again.

"I'll show you an asskicken!" Leon yelled as he chased Kat around her car. He caught her but again got the feeling she let him. He shrugged sanguinely and decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. He started to tickle her in all the places he knew drove her crazy. She tried not to laugh and squirm. She won the battle for the first minute then she started to gasp in laughter and wiggle in an intense need to get away.

"I give," she gasped out.

"Ok then. Let's go to Harry's."

"I need to ask you one favor," Kat admitted and looked at her feet.

"What's that?" Leon narrowed his eyes at Kat, figuring he wasn't going to like what she was gonna request.

"Don't tell him what's going down. He doesn't need to know. Like you say, things'll be fine in a day or two and then he'll just have worried for nothing. There's nothing he can do about it after all."

"That's no big deal. I'll just follow your lead. I know your friends told him you ran away."

"I'll tell him I got bad news but that it's fine now."

"Ok, let's go." Leon headed out of the garage.

They walked over to his house together and got into his car for the ride to Harry's. Harry did have Kat's part, and while he didn't look like he totally bought her story he did buy it enough not to press. He seemed happy to see her and Leon together and not fighting.

They went back to Kat's and put her car back together. By the time it was all reassembled it was 9pm and dark outside. That suited Kat's purposes just fine.

"Now what?" Leon asked and his stomach used that moment to make the fact it was hungry known.

"I guess we should eat." Kat giggled and Leon looked sheepish.

"I suppose I am hungry. I should give the team a quick call to let them know I'm ok and they likely won't seem much of me tonight either." He gave Kat a look asking her to let him know if he was mistaken in that assumption.

"Yeah, you do that, I'll go tell the guys we're goin out then we'll go eat."

"Deal," Leon told her and flipped open his cell phone. Kat went up the stairs into her house and told her friends what she was doing. They didn't look totally happy with it but they kept any protests to themselves.

"We cool?" Kat asked on her return to the garage.

"Yep, ready to go. Let's give the car a workout and see if we caught your problem."

"I thought you'd never ask," Kat laughed as she got into the driver's seat and used her remote to open her garage door.

They took off down the street with a squeal and a cloud of white smoke from the rear wheels. Kat laughingly slid all the corners and sped through the straight-aways. Leon held on for dear life and just tried to enjoy the ride.

They went to a local hamburger joint for dinner because neither of them were in the mood to be on good behavior or using their proper manners. After dinner they got back into the car and Kat looked at Leon.

"What?" Leon somehow knew he didn't like that look.

"I wanna do something now. You down?"

"Down with what?" Leon asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

"Just are you down? Yes or no. Spontaneity is not your friend is it?" Kat asked as Leon hesitated to answer.

"Hell, yeah, I'm down." Leon answered, not wanting to be known as the stick in the mud.

"Ok, now we're talkin." Kat started up the car and backed out of the parking spot with a squeal. She headed out to I90.

"Where we goin?" Leon asked, watching the scenery flash by.

"We are gonna find out just how fast this car can go." Kat exclaimed happily, glad to have a chance to cross another item off her 'to do' list.

"You're kidden right?" Leon was scared he already knew the answer. Too fucken fast was his guess.

"Nope, I've always wanted to know." Kat checked her mirrors and sped up. She passed a few cars then had open highway in front of her.

"What if we get caught and go to jail?" Leon normally wouldn't have worried about it for the chance at a wild ride like Kat was offering. But too much was depending on them being available the next night.

"We'll ask for a co-ed cell and have my guys bail us out tomorrow mornin." Kat winked as she sped up even more.

"You're crazy." Leon laughed.

"You told me you hadn't ever known a chick as crazy as me once. You made it sound like it was a good thing."

"I wouldn't have you any other way."

It was all the permission Kat needed from Leon. She put the paddle to the floor and the car learched forward with a growl. The surrounding views started to merge into one flying blur. They occasionally hit a spot of traffic but Kat just dodged in and out of it all, never slowing down or letting up. Leon had a death grip on the door handle but he was otherwise doing ok and Kat was in her element. She was practically laughing she was having such a good time. She had the radio cranked up and she finally hit her 6th gear. She was going 180 miles an hour and she didn't think the car was quite topped out yet.

"How fast we goin?" Leon asked, almost scared to know.

"190!" Kat answered, excited. "And he's still got a bit left to give." She had yet to use her NOS. She went for the little red button.

"You're not gonna use NOS here?" Leon asked, incredulous.

"Of course. How will I know how fast the car can go if I don't use NOS?"

"Guess?" Leon attempted to get Kat to see reason and not go so far as to use her NOS when she was already going so fast.

"Here we go." Kat gave Leon a small amount of verbal warning as she pushed NOS one and launched her car even faster into the night.

Leon was starting to feel his stomach rebel. He didn't like going so fast when he wasn't in control of the situation. "How fast are we going now?" He wasn't sure he even wanted to know.

"My aftermarket gage only goes to 210 but it's just sitting there, so maybe 240?" Kat laughed. She took a very quick glance at Leon and decided she'd had enough fun at his expense. She let off the gas and let the car start to coast down to a more reasonable speed. She thought she heard Leon mutter 'thank god' but she wasn't sure and she didn't want to make him repeat himself if he had.

She'd slowed to around 140 when she saw the dreaded flashing red and blue lights coming up on her tail. "Shit!" She exclaimed.

"What?" Leon asked, concerned about what was wrong.

"I got cops on my six." Kat sighed and put the peddle down again. She knew she'd have to outrun them, and quick, before they called for backup. She got away from them around a curve in the road and then took an off ramp. They cut the lights and coasted around the curve of the ramp blind. They watched the cops speed off chasing a car they'd never catch and drove off the ramp into a small community.

Neither had any idea where they were.

"You know where you're at Kat?" Leon asked.

"Not a sweet clue but we need to get outta here before they figure out we're not just ahead of them anymore."

"No shit." Leon answered and looked around. "There's a sign for the I40, that'll take us home and we won't risk seeing any of the same patrols if we go that way."

"Good thinking." Kat told Leon and put the car in the direction pointed to on the sign. They got on the I40 and took a much more sedate pace then before. They'd managed to get about 40 minutes out of L.A. "We got pretty far out."

"Funny how fast that happened isn't it?" Leon asked sarcastically. Kat only laughed. Leon's cell phone rang. "Yo." He flipped it open. "Oh, hey Lett. What's up?" Kat could only assume that Letty was talking because Leon went silent for a few minutes. "No, I understand, it's no problem." Leon answered whatever question Letty had asked. "Just a sec, I'll ask Kat." Leon turned to Kat. "Letty says that the Team is going to races because it'll just look strange if we don't show. You wanna go?"

"Do you?" Kat asked, really ok with anything that would keep her mind off the coming day and the trials it was going to bring.

"I wouldn't mind, and if we want to leave early it won't look bad since we're newly reconciled." Leon grinned suggestively, making Kat giggle.

"Sure we'll go for a while if you want to." She answered his question.

"We'll be there soon." Leon told Letty over his phone and flipped it closed. Kat drove toward town and a night of racing.


	70. Forgive, But Never Forget

AN: This chapter deals with some pretty sad subject matter during the last quarter. Just a polite warning that it could be a trigger for bad memories for some. I don't want to say what because it'll ruin it but it's sad. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's still here supporting this story. The end is coming, sad to say but it's not here yet! So read, review. Thank you all.

Chapter 70 – Forgive, But Never Forget

"He's on his way. He's out with Kat." Letty's face pinched a bit in displeasure. She still wasn't sure how to feel about Kat. When she thought of the old Kat she got mad but when she thought of the Kat willing to do anything to get Jesse back she felt guilty about feeling mad. She hated the grey feelings. She'd far rather have just one way to feel about Kat and be done with it.

"Out where?" Dom asked, wondering where they'd go on this night, the last normal night any of them might ever have again.

"I didn't ask and he didn't say." Letty answered with a shrug. "He asked her if she wanted to go before he'd say yes. Like what she wanted was more important then what he wanted or then what we need."

"So?" Vince broke in. "Would it be wrong to be happy they're happy? That he wants to make this night about her?"

"No." Letty admitted reluctantly.

"Ok then." Vince leaned back on his car and wrapped an arm around Nyssa's shoulders. He understood where Leon was coming from. After tomorrow if things didn't go well Leon might never see Kat again. That or he might be burying her days after getting her back. It wasn't what Vince wanted but if he was anything in this life he was a realist.

"I hope they're still happy the day after tomorrow." Nyssa said softly, echoing Vince's own thoughts.

"Of course they will be. Everything is gonna be fine." Vince tried to reassure his girl friend. He always had to put on a brave front for the girls.

"None of this changes the fact that my brother faked his own death and let me think he was dead for two years. How'm I ever supposed to deal with that? This whole week has just been awful."

"I'll deal with it if ya want me to." Vince's eyes lit up at the thought of showing the other man just what he thought of the deception perpetuated against Nyssa in a very physical way. "I'll deal with it real good." Vince cracked his knuckles.

"Beating him up won't help me deal with any of it V." Nyssa frowned. She couldn't deny the part of her that was thrilled her only brother wasn't dead. It was just that the part of her that was really hurt by him abandoning her had a stronger voice. Part of her wanted to see Vince, her champion pound her brother into the ground for what he'd done. It was just that she knew in the end nothing would have been corrected by that act of violence.

"It'll help me deal with it." Vince said, grinning. His grin left his face as he looked deep into Nyssa's eyes. "What do you want?"

"What do you mean?" Nyssa asked and sighed.

"Do you want things to go back to the way they were? Do you want to give him back his car and go build a house with him at the beach? Do you want that life back? Do you want him to go away so you can pretend he never came back? Do you want to stay with us and be on our team, keep racing and living just below the law or do you want to go back to being Nyssa Williams the sister of one of LAPD's finest? You tell me what you want baby girl and I'll make sure you get it." Vince looked earnestly into her eyes. Even if she said she wanted her old life back he'd do his best to make sure she got it. He only wanted her to be happy. She hugged him tight.

"How could you ever think I'd want anything that would involve not having you? You are my life. You and the team. When I really needed someone Danny wasn't there for me. You and the team were. That's what real family is like V. They're there when one of their own needs them, no matter how inconvenient it is or no matter what they have to sacrifice to be by the side of the one who needs them. Danny doesn't get that, not at all. He thinks what he did to me, what he did to my father was justified. All because my dad made a mistake or two and because I was just a little girl. He thought that made him free to make decisions that affected everyone without consulting anyone. But he's my brother. I can't just forget that. But I can't forgive what he did either. And my dad might just kill him anyway and that'll make the whole issue irrelevant."

"You didn't tell Mark yet?" Vince grimaced. That was not going to be a good conversation. Vince had gotten to know Mark Williams quite well since the other man had been released from jail early on good behavior. Mark had taken one look at how Nyssa looked at Vince and at how Vince looked at Nyssa and pronounced his approval for all to hear. It hadn't mattered to him Vince was rough around the edges and not a doctor or lawyer. He'd seen that his daughter was in love and loved and that had been enough. Vince had as much respect for the older man as it was possible for him to have. But the fireworks when Mark was informed his son wasn't dead, but instead had faked his death to go deep undercover with the FBI were going to be bigger and louder then the forth of July. The criminal father vs. the cop son over what had happened to the daughter/sister because of what the cop had done was going to be the showdown to end showdowns. Mark was going to have kittens.

"I didn't really have time and Daddy always knows when things aren't right with me. He's gonna wanna know how I came to know Danny's still alive and what's going on that we ended up in contact with the FBI. Telling him about Danny will have to wait 'til this whole thing with Kat is settled."

"I understand that." Vince looked around and noticed Letty shooting dagger glares at Nyssa, who was still in his arms. "I take it you and Letty never had time to work out any of your issues either?"

"No. I tried but she doesn't want to talk to me. This is the biggest mistake I ever made in my life V. I don't know what to say to her. It's not like she doesn't have the absolute right to be mad." Nyssa lay her head down on Vince's chest. He smoothed her hair and held her a bit tighter.

"No, and she's a grudge holder, but she'll forgive you eventually. But you're gonna have to talk to her for that to happen."

"I can't make her talk to me." Nyssa sniffled. Her continued estrangement from Letty was a very upsetting point in her life. She'd always imagined that Mia would end up her best friend and she'd been shocked to say the least when it had gone the other way and she ended up being thick as sisters with Letty. All they seemed to have in common was Latin heritage and loving men society at large said they shouldn't go near with a ten foot pole. Despite that they'd found they shared much more then that, like a love of speed, family, and bossing all that family around. They'd gone through hard times together before and had always pulled together for each other in the past. But it had often been them against the guys in those days. She'd never had a situation where it was her against Letty before and she didn't know what to do to make it better.

Of course it might be one of those things that you couldn't make better. No matter how sure Vince was that Letty would forgive her after she'd had time to calm down a bit more Nyssa wasn't so sure. She couldn't imagine how she'd feel if Letty had accused her of sleeping with Dominic. She'd be mad that Letty could think something so absurd of her for one thing.

It made Nyssa very ashamed to think that of the two of them Letty'd had the most reason not to trust other girls around Dom but Letty'd never treated Nyssa like that, like she thought Nyssa might go out and sleep with Dom. Letty'd had that kind of trust in her right from the start, even though she was the new girl but Nyssa herself had honestly thought that after years of being best friends Vince and Letty would sleep together. Even though she knew Vince loved her and that Letty loved Dom more then anything else in her world to stay by his side after all he'd done to her and to the family. She felt like she was such a fool.

"I'm an idiot Vince. I don't know if I could forgive her so I don't know if she'll ever forgive me."

"You'd forgive her Nys. You know you would. You forgave me for thinking the same thing about you. It took you awhile but you did. Letty's a tougher nut to crack but she'll come around. Play her if you have to, it's all for the greater good."

"Play her?" Nyssa asked, confused.

"Yeah, play off the 'oh poor me my brother came back from the grave' line. Sympathy points are points." Vince grinned.

"We don't call you Coyote for nothing." Nyssa laughed softly. "You're devious."

"I know. Hey, this might work. I'll make her take you home in her car. You'll have some time to talk then."

"I don't know baby. Me'n her in a confined space might not be such a hot idea." Nyssa cringed at thoughts of what Letty could do to her face in close quarters. Vince looked down, expression unreadable.

"I didn't want to go here girl but Letty's comin out with us tomorrow night. I mean, I hope its just speculation but what if something happens to her? I'm not trying to scare you but if you never see her again do you want to know you never got to make up with her or at least explain to her why you acted how you did?"

"No." Nyssa admitted, a terrified look crossed her face. It hadn't been truly real to her 'til that moment when Vince pointed it out. What if some of her family didn't return the day after tomorrow? What if it was Dom or Letty or Leon who never made it back? Or Vince? The rest of the team would have to be strong as a family to deal with the aftermath. She had to try her best to make up with Letty.

She had to tell Letty the real reason why she'd been so stressed that she'd snapped and been able to think what she'd thought. She'd never found the strength to tell anyone. Perhaps that was why she'd snapped, the stress had eaten at her until it had broken her. Maybe the truth would help Letty understand and maybe it wouldn't but either way Letty deserved the truth. So did Vince, but she didn't want to think about that.

* * *

"You mind spinning by home so I can get my car? They kinda depend on me to watch the scanner or at least have the equipment there."

"Yeah, it's no problem." Kat answered and turned off the freeway into their neighborhood. She stopped at the curb of Dom's house. "Race you there!"

"I already learned that lesson girl, you're faster." Leon chuckled and got out of her car.

"Maybe not in traffic." Kat called and put the car in gear. "See you there." She rolled the window up and watched Leon sprint to his car. Once his reverse lights came on she took off.

When she hit cruising gear she took out her cell and called Stacy's. She tapped her hand on the wheel impatiently while she waited on him to answer. She'd left them all day with no idea where she was going after the car had been done. She knew they'd worry about her given the circumstances they were in.

"Yo." Stacy answered.

"Hey, it's me." Kat replied.

"Where are you?" Stacy asked, sounding worried since he hadn't seen Kat since she'd left for dinner hours before.

"I'm on my way to races. Leon's crew wanted to go down to keep up appearances. Sorry I didn't call before but I was outta town."

"Do I wanna know?" Stacy asked.

"I took the car for a drive and we got lost. You guys comin down to the warehouse?"

"Maybe. I'll have to ask Kale. If you see us then we're there."

"Cool. Either way I'll talk to you later baby boy."

"Aiight. Take carea you." Stacy said, letting his concern get the better of him.

"I will." Kat hung up and took the final turn into the warehouse parking lot. She found a parking spot next to Leon and stopped her car. He heard her brakes squeal and turned to face her.

"I got here first?" Leon asked, grinning. "I can't believe it."

"I took the long way and called home." Kat smiled at him, letting him have his win but trying to make it look like she threw their 'contest' too.

"I see." Leon said, acting like yeah right.

"I'm not in the mood to be competitive today." Kat lost some of her good humor.

"Me neither." Both of them looked more subdued when thinking about what they were going to face the very next night.

"It's gonna be ok." They both started at the same time and then laughed.

"Let's go hang with the team." Leon put an arm around Kat's waist and started to lead her over to where his friends were talking to their friends and acquaintances. Kat was dragging her heels, not really interesting in hanging out with his team. She was looking at her sandal clad feet and dragging them across the tarmac.

"What's wrong?" Leon stopped moving and looked down at her, tipping her head back so he could look into her eyes.

"Nothin." She mumbled back, embarrassed. She tried to break his gaze and look away. He wasn't having it.

"Ah, come on. It's not nothin. What's wrong?" He brushed a bit of hair behind her ear. She sighed.

"I'm sorta embarrassed to be here with you and your team." She saw Leon's fill with hurt and realized how what she'd said had sounded. "Oh god no. Not like that." Kat was quick to try and explain her position. "Like after what I did to you here and all these people think I'm a huge hoe and it's hard to know they're talkin about me like that behind my back."

"It doesn't matter what they think, it matters what I think. I was hurt you did what you did but it's over now. You're here with me and you'll always be here with me from now on. Everyone's gonna know that eventually Kitten so it might as well be now." She looked shocked to hear his admission. She liked how it sounded. 'You'll always be here with me.' She liked how permanent that sounded. Like she'd finally belong somewhere.

"You mean that?" She breathed out, still unsure.

"Of course." He kissed her for all to see. "Do you think I woulda spent the night with you last night if I didn't want to be in your life?"

"You mighta been betting on Sergei." Kat tried to make a joke. Leon didn't seem like he appreciated the humor.

"I'm bettin on you baby girl. In everything. When it comes to coming out on top of challenges I don't think anyone else I know is as good at it as you."

"I hope I live up to your trust."

"You already have." Leon told her simply and looked into her eyes. She leaned into him, fighting tears. She felt like he had given her a gift she'd never deserve. The gift of his forgiveness and trust. "Come on, they're lookin at us like we crazy."

"I thought I was." Kat giggled and allowed Leon to lead her the rest of the way over to his team, not dragging this time but walking proudly at his side. She knew where she belonged. It was with Leon. It didn't matter where that was anymore. All that mattered was that she belonged with him.

"Yeah, you are, but in that good way, not the you know," Leon made a circular motion beside his head, "coo coo way."

* * *

"Aren't they just sweet?" Letty's voice dripped sarcasm. She'd noticed Nyssa and Vince eyeing her up and she didn't like it one bit. It put her in a bad mood she was willing to take out on anyone who pissed her off.

"Letty." Dom's gravely voice served as a warning to his girlfriend to play nice. "Don't start shit. Not tonight, ok?"

"I'll let her keep her pretty face for now." Letty answered and pasted a sunny smile on her face that anyone who knew her could see was fake.

Leon and Kat reached the group. "Hey guys." Leon addressed his friends.

"Hey!" Mia returned the greeting. "We didn't think you were ever coming. What took you so long after Letty called?"

"Um." Kat looked at Leon and blushed. Everyone groaned, anticipating the answer.

"Ya'll got a buncha sick minds." Leon chuckled at the implication. "Tell 'em what we were doin Kitten."

"I decided to top out my car on I90 and by the time I'd used my NOS and slowed down we were about 40 minutes out of the city. Then we got cops and had to out run them and ended up on I40."

"You topped out the Skyline?" Vince didn't look like he believed it.

"No shit!" Brian looked shocked. He'd never managed to top out his, and he'd tried. He'd gotten scared at 190 and given up.

"How fast did you have to go to do that?" Dom asked, curious.

"It was about 240 I think. My gauge doesn't really go over 210."

"It was too fucken fast however fast it was." Leon added, laughing. "I hope never to repeat it again. Things start to tuck in in anticipation." The team laughed at his implication.

"I don't even know if the car was topped out. I was starting to get worried my tires would fly apart or something so I gave up then." Kat admitted, embarrassed.

The team spilt off into groups to socialize then, Kat, Nyssa, Leon and Vince talking and Mia, Dom, Brian and Letty in another group. Hector came up to them.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey Hector." A few of the team answered. If Hector noticed that their greeting was less then enthusiastic he gave no sign of it.

"So, who's racing tonight?" Hector asked the group. They all milled around and avoided answering, none of them sure if they wanted to race, or if it was disrespectful to the missing members to race on the night before the rescue. "What, no one on Team Toretto wants to race?" Hector looked shocked.

"Well, Kat just had a fast run, maybe she wants to try all that new speed out against opponents." Letty volunteered Kat for the role.

"I'm good thanks. I only got half my spray left after my run on the way here." Kat knew Letty's offer wasn't made in the spirit of friendship or out of knowing Kat wanted to race. Letty'd done it just because she knew Kat didn't want to race. "Besides, I'm not letting this one out of my sight now that we finally worked our shit out." Kat leaned into Leon possessively.

"It's you they want Dom." Hector looked at Dom.

"Ok, one race. 4 g buy in." Dom told Hector reluctantly. He figured it was too rich and no one would step up. Hector moved off to see what he could work out. He was back a few minutes later.

"I got two suckers with more money then brains. One Honda S2000 and a Infinity G35 coupe."

"Aiight." Dom also handed his money to Hector and moved his RX-7 to the line along with the powder blue Honda and the silver Infinity.

Dom raced and won, but not with a very big margin. His heart wasn't really in his racing for the first time ever. He had too much other stuff praying on his mind to care about a 10 second race that in the grand scheme of things was nothing. The race of his life was coming and he had better things to do with his time till then then show two silly kids they'd have been better off spending their 4000 dollars on upgrades for their cars before they tried to run in the big leagues again.

The crowd almost seemed to pick up the subdued atmosphere from the team and the crowd broke up shortly after, knowing there would be no party at Dom's that night.

"I need to do a few things before I go home but Nyssa's tired out. Letty, take her with you." Vince ordered his friend when they went to pile into their cars. Letty'd felt something big coming and she wasn't disappointed.

"She can ride with Dom." Letty snarled, giving Vince an angry glare.

"No she can ride with you." Vince growled back and forcefully put Nyssa into the passenger seat of Letty's Silvia and closed the door. "It needs to end Letty."

"I got nothin to say to her Vince."

"That's fine. Just listen to her."

Letty snarled at Vince without words and got into her car, slamming her door.

"I'm sorry he did this. I didn't want to let him." Nyssa told her former friend in a soft, slightly scared, a lot nervous tone.

"Whateva." Letty replied and put the car in reverse, sending it flying out of it's parking spot and then down the warehouse alley. Racer chasers dove for cover out of the way of her flying tires and flashing headlights.

"Letty, can I explain to you why I acted how I did? If you don't want to talk to me you don't have to if you'll just hear me out and if you still can't forgive me I'll understand."

"Whateva!" Letty snapped again and concentrated on the road. Nyssa took that as ok to tell Letty what she had to, just not to expect much in the way of co-operation.

"Well, the day it all went down, the day we did the last job I..." Nyssa didn't know where to start her story. It was still painful, more so because she'd told no one. All her feelings on the subject had been bottled up inside her all this time. "Well, you know the day I came home and found you two together it was about a month after that day it all went down. The day we crashed in the civic. Well. It turns out I...I..." Nyssa started to cry softly. She didn't know how to go on. She figured she'd just have to force herself to spit it out. "I was pregnant when we crashed, about three weeks along."

Letty looked over but didn't say anything. But she was fighting hard not to. Since Nyssa had shown up back with the team alone it was clear there'd been no baby.

"I didn't lose the baby then, but they don't know why. I should have after the surgery I needed to fix my other insides but since I didn't know I was pregnant I couldn't tell them I was. I guess the baby..." Nyssa choked on the word baby. She hated to think of it even though it had been some time since it had actually happened. "The baby was injured in the crash but my body didn't abort it then for some reason. They don't think she died in the crash, just got hurt like I did. I didn't even know I was pregnant at the time. But then when I still hadn't had a period three weeks later I figured something was up and went to the doctor. They tested me, told me I was pregnant and everything looked ok. I told them about the crash, in vague detail and they scheduled tests but said it looked like I was gonna be fine. They figured I was six weeks along."

"I didn't know how to tell Vince. I didn't know how he'd take it so I didn't tell him right away. I was waiting for the right time. A few days later I lost the baby. I had abdominal pain when I was driving home from my father's so I went straight to the hospital. I let you all think I was staying with my dad another night but I was really in the hospital for the night."

"I came home out of the hospital to find you and Vince together. I know it isn't an excuse but I wasn't in my right head. It was a little girl and she was gonna be my daughter and she died because I had to go along and I got in a stupid car wreck. Vince'd be a great dad but now he's not gonna get the chance because I had to go along. And they don't know if I'll ever be able to have kids again." Nyssa broke down in great sobs, never having admitted to anyone that she'd lost a baby, let alone all the guilt she felt over it all.

"It was just that when I came home from losing her was when I needed Vince more then ever and there he was with you. I think I knew that it wasn't what it looked like but I needed him then! He was my boyfriend and I'd just lost his child but he was comforting you! I was jealous and I know that doesn't give me the right to do what I did but I needed him and he was with you." Nyssa cried out, once the grief started it was impossible to stop it. It had been locked inside her too long and now that she'd given it an outlet she couldn't stem the tide.

Letty pulled the car over and grabbed Nyssa to her tightly, rocking her friend and crooning nonsense. Her hurt over a childish accusation was nothing compared to what her best friend was feeling over losing a child. It all was so clear to Letty after Nyssa told her the story. She'd come home in pain and scared and hurt and nervous and found her lover, the one she needed most was already comforting another girl. She'd been lost and she'd lashed out the only way she'd been able to at the time. Letty fought back tears thinking of what Nyssa'd been through.

"Shush, it's ok. It wasn't your fault girl. Women lose babies every day. I know it doesn't make it better but it's not your fault." Letty kept rocking her friend gently and rubbing her back.

"I shoulda known I was pregnant Letty. I should have known. I know that stuff. It's my gift and my curse. I should have felt it. I'm a woman, I was going to be her mother! How could I not know she was there, growing inside me? She was there for three weeks before I got into that car and _I never knew_!"

"Most women don't till they miss a period Nys."

"I had a friend in high school who slept with a guy one night. The next day at school I looked at her and I knew. I asked her when she planned on telling me she was pregnant. She was like 'I'm not pregnant' and I was like yeah you're not, thinking she was hiding it from me. A month later she came up to me and told me I was right. I knew from the day she was pregnant. How could I not know I was?" Nyssa was practically inconsolable. Letty just kept making soothing noises and letting Nyssa get it out.

"Who'd you tell about her Nyssa? Who'd you talk to about what happened?" Letty knew instinctively saying 'it' when talking about the baby would just upset Nyssa further. She'd lost a baby, not a thing and it was hard to think of that way but it was true.

"No body knows. I didn't have anyone to tell. I'd stupidly alienated both you and Vince in one go and then I just had to get away."

"You shoulda told me! Or Mia. You had to know that I love you too much not to forgive you when you were so upset about something like this Nyssa."

"You forgive me?" Nyssa looked up at Letty, her eyelashes spiky clumps and her eyes red rimmed. It made the violet color stand out even more.

"Um yeah." Letty smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner. She wasn't good at being the comforting one. That was Mia's job. "But I do think you need to come clean with V. He has a right to know why you got so upset too."

"I don't know how to tell him." Nyssa wiped her cheeks dry.

"Just tell him. He needs to know." Letty held Nyssa's gaze. "We're here for you but Vince needs to know." Nyssa exhaled a shuttering breath.

"Ok." The girls drove home and walked up the front path hand in hand. At the door they stopped and Nyssa blew out a forceful breath. Letty gave her hand a squeeze.

"It'll be ok." Letty said and opened the door. The team looked up and looked relieved to see the girls enter together, hand in hand. It didn't even shock them that much they were holding hands. They'd been estranged some time, but they'd been best friends.

"Everything ok?" Dom asked them, wondering what had taken them so long to arrive home.

"Everything is going to be fine." Letty said firmly for Nyssa's benefit. "But Nyssa has something to tell Vince, don't you Nyssa?"

"Yeah." Nyssa said timidly.

"What is it baby?" Vince asked, clearly concerned. He got up and took Nyssa's hands in his own.

"You two go to bed." Letty gave them a shove in the direction of the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Leon asked from the couch were he sat with Kat mostly asleep in his lap.

"If they want to tell us they'll tell us." Letty said, knowing it was her place to keep her friend's secrets, not tell them for her. She knew she would tell Dom, simply because he could also keep secrets and he deserved to know why Nyssa had left. Dom would never let on to Nyssa he knew. And ever since the last heist and the aftermath of it Letty told Dom everything and he told her everything too. No more hiding the hurt from each other. It was how they'd healed from the hurt.

The rest of the team stayed home and sat up watching TV together in Dom's living room till late at night, just enjoying the company and closeness. For all they knew it was the last night that all of them would be present for. They'd taken Kat's warning that not everyone was expected to make it home to heart. They just didn't know who it was that wouldn't be coming home.

Kat and Leon gave up first and headed off to his room together. No one was surprised. The possibility that their fledgling relationship might be torn apart by the time 24 hours had passed could not be discounted by anyone. The light was still on in Vince's room but they didn't hear any noise so they figured all was well. Soon after they quit the room Mia and Brian headed up the stairs, Brian carrying a sound asleep Mia. Dom hated the stressed and unhappy look on his sister's face. She didn't deal well with the sort of situation she found herself in now.

Dom sighed and took Letty by the hand. She saw the tired look in his eyes and stood up. The tired look would get worse by the end of the night she knew, once he knew about Nyssa. Dom would take yet another measure of guilt onto himself, thinking because he ultimately let Nyssa go it was all his fault.

It would all be settled soon, but the question was to what outcome?


	71. Borrowed Fire Power

Chapter 71- Borrowed Fire Power

Once the door was closed behind them Vince turned to Nyssa in confusion. "What do you need to tell me?" He wasn't going to tell Nyssa or his team but he was terrified of what she had to say. The look on her face clearly told him it wasn't good news.

"I almost don't know where to start." Nyssa paced around the room, finger agitatedly tracing the scar on her abdomen. It was a constant reminder of what had happened and the results of those happenings.

"How 'bout at the beginning." Vince grabbed her by the shoulders gently to stop her pacing and looked down into her eyes earnestly. "Whatever it is it can't be as bad as all this baby. We've gotten through so much together there can't be very much we can't take care of together."

"Ok, well, Letty says I should tell you the reason why I was so able to believe that you and her would do what it was I thought you did."

"If you want to Nys. It's all in the past now and I don't need to know the details. I'm ok with leaving it in the past where it belongs."

"But there's a lot more to it then you know and Letty's right. Much as it'll hurt you do need to know." Nyssa broke free and sat on the end of the bed. Looking down at her hands not at Vince, she began to tell him a modified version of what she'd told Letty.

"So the reason why I jumped to conclusions so fast was because I was already so upset about not only losing the baby but the fact that I'd never even gotten around to telling you there was a baby and I was going to have to tell you she died before you even knew she was alive."

Vince looked like he was in shock and not sure what to say, believe or do about all that he had just learned.

"I was so mad at myself. It _was_ all my fault. If I'd known, like I should have, that she was there, growing in me then I wouldn't have insisted on going in that car with Letty. I mean, you and Dom both told me not to, told me to stay with Mia but I just wouldn't listen. I had to have my way. And because of it I killed our daughter." Nyssa started to cry again, face in her hands.

Vince hit his knees in front of her and took her wrists in his hands to move her hands out of her face.

"You didn't even know you were gonna have her Nys. You couldn't have known. You didn't know what would happen."

"But I should have." She sobbed brokenly, still convinced she should have been aware of her daughter's presence in her womb.

"No, you couldn't have known. And you had to be there for us. You were right to force us to take you. If you hadn't been there then you wouldn't have been able to tell Dom to go right home so Mia would be in the house for Jesse. You wouldn't have been in the desert to make up the story about the trucker. You wouldn't have been able to get your uncle to clean up the cars. Who knows how many of us would be doing time in prison if it wasn't for you Nys?"

Nyssa looked up to meet Vince's blue eyes with her own bruised gaze. "But she still died because of it."

"Sometimes bad things happen for a good reason Nyssa. I'd think you'd be the first one to see that." When she nodded the fact she saw his words had merit he took her in his arms softly. "It's gonna be ok. Now that the truth is out it doesn't have to hurt so much." Vince didn't know where he was getting the nice things he was saying, only that he was glad they seemed to be the right things.

"You're not mad?"

"No I'm not mad. Upset but not mad. Never at you for this. I wish you'd told me right away what had happened but it can't be changed now baby. Let's get some rest."

Vince put the weary Nyssa to bed and followed her in. While she fell asleep rather quickly, her head pillowed on his shoulder, his thoughts kept him up quite a bit longer. He'd come so close to being a father! He wasn't sure how he felt about that. He had his own guilty feelings over being almost glad Nyssa hadn't had the child. He wasn't sure he was ready for that step at the point of his life he was at.

Hell, he wasn't sure Nyssa was either, though he knew she would have adapted to it easily enough. He comforted his conscience with the knowledge that he'd been right in what he'd told Nyssa. Sometimes bad things happened for a good reason. Perhaps this was just another one of those bad things that some higher power had affected in their lives for a good reason. None of them were mature enough to care properly for an infant. Hell, he and Dom had had a hard enough time taking proper care of Mia after her father's death and Mia had already been 14 or 15 years old at the time.

It was likely for the best and it wasn't like they couldn't have children when they were ready for them later. Vince finally fell asleep himself after straightening all that out in his mind.

xox

"You wanna go to bed since you're pretty much asleep as it is?" Leon asked Kat gruffly as he realized her eyes had drifted shut for the millionth time.

"I should." Kat yawned with a hand over her mouth. "I'm pretty tired."

"Yeah, let's go get some shut eye." Leon stood up taking Kat into his arms with him.

"Where you think you're gonna carry me?" Kat asked, still sleepy but slightly more awake after being swung up into the air.

"Bed of course." Leon started the way of the basement stairs. With a sigh Kat wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her. But at the top of the stairs she started to worry.

"Maybe I should go home."

"Why."

"Well…" Kat bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure if she really wanted to share the why with him.

"What's wrong?" Leon knew it was serious from the scared look in Kat's eyes. "Come on. You can tell me." He cajoled gently.

"It's just that the last time I fell asleep in your room I woke up to you hating me. I don't really wanna go through that again. I don't think I can." She sniffled.

"That will never happen again. I swear to you. I think we need to talk about this more in private." Leon started down the stairs without giving Kat time to think up another protest. He set her on her feet in his room then helped her sit on the end of the bed. She looked around in trepidation, not looking forward to their chat.

"I'll be ok. We can just go to bed." Kat tried to hold off the talk. She figured it was going to be uncomfortable and she didn't want to deal with it. She wanted it to just go away. She was going to have a hard enough time sleeping with what was going to go down the next day on her mind.

"It's not ok." Leon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He said beside Kat on the end of his bed so that he wouldn't have to see her face. "I've fucked up my fair share with you Kat, I know it. I haven't given you a lot of reasons to trust me I know. But I'm gonna start."

"It's ok." Kat started, intent on letting Leon off the hook so they could just go to bed and forget all about it.

"No it's not. It's just that I got so scared when that guy called I didn't know what I was doing. It's not an excuse I know but I never wanted to hurt you, I didn't know what I was saying."

"It's ok. Really." Kat looked up at Leon then, knowing he needed to know she honestly did forgive him. "I'm ok. I understand."

"You're what I need girl. I want you with me."

"I want you with me too. It's why I'm still here." Kat answered with a smile.

"I'm just so worried about Jesse." Leon pulled Kat into his arms and held her close as he thought about if Jesse was scared or hurt.

"We're gonna get him back. I promise you this. This time tomorrow he's gonna be home. First we'll get Sean and then Jesse. But Leon, I want you to promise me something."

"What?"

"Once we have Jesse safe I want you to take him home and stay home with him. I don't want you in danger when it's not your fight. Once we have your brother back you're out."

"No way! I'm not leaving you to go against this guy alone." Leon held Kat away from him so he could look into her face. "You'll need all the help you can get and I can handle myself."

"Leon, once we go to the 'Dragon's Gate' there won't be a place for much help. I'm thinking that Danny will be in the room already with Sergei and we'll try to find a way to get a few more people stationed around. It's not like the whole group of us can storm the building."

"Wait a second! When we get Jesse back he can help. He can work a computer like no one else. He might be able to rig security cameras and stuff like that. Then we would be able to get up to the penthouse in a group." Leon hit on a way he and Jesse could help when he really thought about it. The hid had been one of the premier hackers before he'd discovered cars and pretty much started only hacking as a side hobby. It still gave him a cheep thrill to hack into big corporation's networks just because he could.

"We'll see. It sounds like a good idea to have someone who knows computer systems around really but we don't know how shaken Jesse will be."

"He'll be ok when he knows he can help. Let's try to get some sleep."

"Ok."

Kat and Leon went to bed and found sleep fairly quickly considering all the things they had on their mind. Curled around each other in the center of Kat's bed exhaustion claimed them.

xox

"What's up with V and Nyssa?" Dom asked Letty wearily as he watched her brush out her shiny black hair.

"Nyssa told me why she ran away. Why she was willing to believe what she did." As soon as she said it she realized Dom didn't even know why Nyssa had ran away. Not totally. Letty hadn't wanted to tell him. She knew it would just bring their fight back up so she'd kept it to her self.

"Why?" Dom asked on a sigh as he sat on the edge of their bed in his shorts, watching Letty put her hair back in a pony tail for the night.

"Because the night she came home and then ran off was the night that…" Letty paused, not wanting to bring up the bad memories.

"The night that what Lett?"

"That you and I had fought and the night you threw me against the wall." Letty's tone and body language told clearly the fact that she hadn't wanted to dredge it up but was only doing it to tell the facts. She was very careful not to sound accusatory.

"Ok, but what's that have to do with V and Nyssa?"

"When you did that to me I ran to Vince, like I always ran to Vince when we fought. He was calming me down in his room to keep himself from going to find you and get into a fight with you over it when Nyssa got home."

"Ok." Dom was clearly still confused over what that had to do with Nyssa taking off on Vince.

"Vince and I were laying on his bed. I mean that. We were on top of the covers and still clothed. You know nothing would ever happen between me and V right?"

"Of course I know that Letty. It would never enter my head to think that of you. Not with anyone but least of all with Vince."

"Good. Well, it did enter Nyssa's head and she accused us of sleeping together."

"Why would she think that?" Dom started to get mildly mad at Nyssa for allowing herself to jump to such a ridiculous conclusion.

"Because she was coming home-"

"From her father's we know that." Dom cut Letty off, exasperated and wanting the real answers _now_. "She stayed an extra night."

"No she didn't. She was coming home from her father's on the right night when she got a bad pain and went to the hospital and got emitted for the night." Letty sighed, hating to hurt Dom like she knew she was about to. "Dom she was pregnant when she and I rolled the civic. She didn't know. Then she found out a week or so after and didn't know how to tell us so she didn't. Not even Vince. But on that night that she found me with Vince the reason why she was a night late coming home was because she'd started to lose the baby in the car on the way home and had to go to the hospital. She lost her baby there all alone because she didn't know how to call and tell us she was losing a baby she'd never told any of us she was even pregnant with."

"God Letty. How could she not tell us? We woulda been there for her." Letty got up and walked over to Dom, sitting down on his lap and wrapping her arms around him. She knew he was taking it personally because he felt that as the leader of their little family Nyssa should have known she could come to him even if she couldn't go to Vince.

"I know that Dom, she was just confused and scared. It wasn't anything personal against you or any of us. She was having a lot of guilt about the fact she hadn't known at the time she got in the car and she was blaming the fact that she was in that accident for why she miscarried."

"How could she have known so early? It wasn't her fault."

"She thinks she shoulda known because she knows things. You know how she is. I mean Leon told me the other day she knew all these things about Kat even though her and Kat only talked the once and not about any of that stuff. It's scary how she knows things but she didn't know that and she saw it as some failure on her part."

"I guess the important thing is she's home safe now and you and her made up I take it?"

"Of course we did. I couldn't stay mad at her after that."

"I never should have let her come along. I knew it was a bad idea. I didn't even want you involved."

Letty had been waiting for the self-recrimination to start and she wasn't disappointed.

"Hey, she wanted to come. You tried to stop her and so did V. She's an adult and she made a choice. She didn't know she was pregnant when she made it, no one did. She had her reasons to want to come and now that it's all said and done thank god you did let her come."

"How can you say that when she went through what she did?" Dom looked at Letty like she was saying it was a good thing Nyssa had lost her child.

"Because how you figure it woulda been better for her to have a baby who's daddy was in jail with his uncle Dom and uncle Brian and maybe uncle Leon too. Not to mention auntie Letty. And a dead uncle Jesse who died because no one thought to send Mia home to wait for him?"

"When you put it like that I guess I see where you're coming from. I guess it did happen for a reason." Dom kissed the top of Letty's head. "I don't know what I'd do without you girl. You keep it real." He leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I love you." He growled out, the words never coming easy for him, but coming more often now, after the disaster with the trucks when he realized how close he'd come to never telling her again.

"Love you too Pappi. Let's get some sleep."

Dom was awake listening to Letty snore for some time after she'd found her sleep. He knew she was right, and what had happened with Nyssa happened for a reason and ultimately for the greater good, but he still felt like he'd failed her. Just like he felt like he failed Letty because she'd gotten hurt, and Vince because he hadn't been able to get him off the truck in time and Jesse because he hadn't found him before the Trans had. It was a burden, it hurt, but he'd be ok. He'd carry it around within like he did all the other feelings of inadequacy, but he knew one thing.

He wouldn't fail Kat or Leon. They were getting Sean and Jesse back safe, and protecting Kat from her stepfather. No matter if she was officially part of his team or not, Leon cared about her and he wouldn't have the injuries of another woman on his hands. There was enough blood there already.

xox

Everyone slept late the next day. They all started to straggle into the kitchen of the Toretto house around 11 am. Nothing was said about what was to come. They knew they all had to start planning soon but they enjoyed breakfast together first. Kat and her picky eating habits added humour to the table.

After they were all done and Kat's offer to help Mia clean up had been refused, she figured she should go home and start to round up her friends. They would have to go to Connor's soon and start to figure out more specific plans then simply chasing after her friends in their respective homes and busting them out.

There was a definite catch there. How were they going to know where to go once in the houses to find their friends? They had no idea where Sergei would have ordered Sean and Jesse kept. Kat hoped between Josef and Ivan they could figure it out. Not to mention Danny Williams, if the federal agent was even still talking to them. Something about him rubbed Kat the wrong way and she knew it was based on more then just his abandonment of Nyssa. But it wasn't her place to like or hate him, she just had to use his help until the job was done.

"I guess I should go home. We got a few hours 'til dark and I should use them to try and find my brothers and try to draw out some plans of the houses. I don't want to go in blind if we can help it." Kat told Leon and Vince as they sat in the living room watching Letty play with the PS2.

"Ok, you call me when you head to Connor's and we'll all go ok?" Leon asked as he watched Kat stand up.

"A'ight. Sounds like a plan. I'll call you." Kat headed out the front door and over to her house. She walked in and found Stacey and Kale in the living room. "Hey guys."

"Mornin' Kitten. When we goin to Connor's?"

"Whenever. I just gotta call the guys across cause they wanna come too. You heard from by brothers?"

"They slept upstairs in Sean's room last night. Far as we know they're still in there."

"Ok, I'll check on them now." Kat answered and trudged up the stairs. She found her brothers sitting in Sean's room, talking in low tones, in Russian. Before they noticed her she heard that they were scared of what was coming, that they were worried that Sergei was too devious and smart for even all of them together to best. "Guys, you ready to head back down to Connor's?" Kat asked from the door.

"Whenever you are ready Kat." Ivan answered.

"It'll be soon. I want you and Josef to help Danny make floor plans of the houses and the office building if you can. I know the plans of 'Dragon's Gate' would be on public record but I don't trust them to be accurate and I don't trust Sergei not to find out someone was making inquires about his building."

"I'm familiar with both the Bel Air house and the office building but the Long beach house is beyond me." Josef admitted. "He rarely uses the Long Beach house so I've never had occasion to go there."

"Neither have I."

"All we can do is hope that Danny Williams has been there then. We need Sean back. Without Sean I don't know if I can finish the mission."

"Of course you can Kat." Ivan assured his sister as he stood up. "You've shown more courage these few days then half the men in Sergei's employ ever do. You'll do find."

"Thanks." Kat told her brother with a tight smile as she turned to leave Sean's room before the overwhelming amount of his stuff got her down. "Be ready to roll out in a half hour, ok?"

"Of course." Her brothers told her in unison and Kat went to get ready in her room. She put her leathers back on, knowing she was going to be doing her thing on her bike out of necessity tonight.

She used twenty of the thirty minutes she'd allowed her brothers to be ready to get herself ready. When she reached the front hall of the house she found her brothers and friends ready to go.

"I'll just call the Toretto's to let them know we're ready to head down and see if they want to come now or head down later."

"Ok." Kale motioned them to the living room since it was clear they weren't rolling out right away and everyone but Kat sat down to wait. Kat dialled the phone number for the house across the street. Letty answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Leon handy?" Kat asked, not really wanted to play nice with Letty, still not the Latin girl's biggest fan.

"Yeah." Letty answered in a similarly short fashion, not wanting to talk to Kat any longer then she had to. "Leon!" She called into the house.

"Yo."

"Phone."

"A'ight." Leon picked up an extention and said hello.

"Hey." Kat answered and couldn't keep the smile out of her voice. She knew she should still be holding how he'd treated her in the past against him but she couldn't. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Even the mean things he'd done had forced her to grow and change as a person.

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah, we're headed to Connor's. You guys comin, or following us down later."

"We're comin. Give us ten minutes to get ready."

"Ok. Holla when you're ready to roll, ok?"

"Yeah. That's cool." Leon answered. "Talk to you soon."

"Yeah, later." Kat hung up as Leon did the same. She turned to the rest of the group. "They'll be ready soon."

The sat around waiting on the call to come in and when it did the tension had them wound so tight that Kat jumped when the phone rang. She answered it, ascertained Leon and his crew were ready and then imparted that to her team. They headed out to the driveway.

They took two cars and Leon's team made the same choice. They sped to Connor's and parked. They walked in to find Danny was already there. Kat raised an eyebrow in question. She figured that she'd be tracking him down since he'd seemed so less then thrilled about helping them.

"I'm surprised to see you here." Kat said to Danny in a pleasant tone of voice, trying to avoid a fight.

"I have floor plans for the houses. We need to go over them then I need to get back. I'm to meet his plane at 4pm."

"You have actual plans to the houses?" Kat asked incredulously.

"Yeah, being part of the FBI has some advantages." Danny replied. He looked at his sister and Kat almost felt for him. Almost. Maybe she would when everything was over.

"Ok, so are you going to be with him while we get Sean and Jesse?"

"Yes. In case anything goes down he has to think that I'm still clean. You'll see me at the office. He seems to be letting me be there for the exchange."

"Ok, let's look at Long Beach first. I want to get Sean back as soon as we can." Kat looked at the plans. Danny brought the plans for that house to the front.

"As you can see we need to come up from the beach. There's often a guard or two outside the house, and the best plan security wise is to shoot to kill with silenced weapons. You need to have perfect aim though because one stray bullet or noise and the show is up."

"That's no problem." Connor broke in. "Our Kitten has perfect aim."

"Connor, I haven't shot these in over a year. Don't count on my aim."

"I guess you better head down to the old dump and do some practise while you wait for it to be time to head out to Long Beach then shouldn't you." Connor suggested and watched as Kat did as asked and Leon followed her.

He fell in step beside Kat as she walked down the street. The old dump was an affectionate term for an abandoned lot of junk down the street. They all went there to practise their marksmanship. "So…" Leon started.

"Yeah?" Kat looked up at him as they walked, knowing something was on his mind.

"Think you can teach me to handle one of those in an hour? Cause I figure that's about how long we got."

"What you wanna know how to use a gun for Leon? Stay ignorant of it. I wish I had."

"I might need to know to keep myself or Jesse or someone else from getting killed. I don't want that on my head." Leon looked dead serious and resigned about it. It was clear it was something he flet he had to do.

"I can show you how and if you have any natural skill at it you can pick it up in an hour but if it's something you're gonna have ot work at you'll never get it down enough to hit what you aim at in that kinda time." It wasn't the time to mislead him, she laid the facts bare and left it up to him to make his own mind up.

"So we can only try and see then?"

"Yeah, that's about the size of it. Plus my guns are high calibre, since your not use to the recoil it might knock you flat on your ass. Hell, it might knock me flat on my ass it's been so long. If I'd known you were coming with me to learn I'da grabbed something smaller to teach you with."

"Hey, if I can do it with these then I can do it with anything right?" Leon tried to smile.

"Yeah, pretty much." They reached the lot and Kat set up a few things to shoot at and took her gun out. It wasn't silenced because everyone knew what gunshots from the dump meant in their neighbourhood. No one would find it strange enough to call the cops.

She took aim at one of her targets. "Ok, the idea is to aim, obviously, then hold the gun steady, I'd recommend with both hands until you're comfortable with it, and then squeeze the trigger gently. Don't pull it!" Kat did as she was instructing Leon to do and popped off a round. The recoil did knock her back a few steps but she hit the can she'd been aiming at on the top of a rusted out car. She handed Leon her second weapon. "Now you try for the other can."

Leon took a hold of the weapon the way he'd watched Kat do it. He pointed it at the can and took a deep breath.

"What you wanna do is take that deep breath just like your instinct tells you, then let it half out, hold the rest and then at the steadiest point of holding your breath squeeze off the shot."

Leon took another breath, aimed again and did as she instructed. He hit the can. Then he narrowly missed hitting himself in the face from the recoil. "You weren't kidden about the kick."

"No, I wasn't. Pop off a few more. I don't wanna find out it was beginners luck." Kat said, wishing Leon wasn't a natural because she didn't want him using a gun at all. She'd hoped he'd be horrible at it and she could tell him to never mind and just stay behind Vince. They set up a few more targets and even though he missed his share Leon hit enough to be considered safe with the weapon. Kat sighed.

"I guess I pass huh?" Leon asked after seeing the upset look in her eyes.

"Yeah. I guess you do." Kat admitted and they headed back to the house. "But you can't use my gun. I'll get C to lend you one."

"I know you'd rather I didn't have one Kat, but I hope you can see this is something I have to do for myself, a decision I have to make for myself."

"I don't think you understand what you're getting into but I guess I can respect your right to make up your own mind."

"I'll be ok. Trust me."

"I'll try." Kat opened the front door of the house and walked to the living room. She looked at Connor and got his attention. "C."

"Yo, what up baby girl? You still got it?"

"Yeah, I still got it. Turns out so does Leon. Lend him one of Sean's Rugers."

"You sure on that?"

"Yeah, seems he's sure so, so am I." Kat sighed. With a shrug Connor retrieved the weapon and Kat showed Leon how to load it, cock it and use the safety. Then she looked at the floor plan and the aerial photos of the house that Danny had provided. "Ok, this is how this is gonna go down…"


	72. Get it On

**Adrenaline**

_By - TempestRaces_

Chapter 72 – **Get It On**

_**This is how it's going to go down…**_

After delivering her statement Kat paused and looked at the pictures of the house where Sean was being kept. The inconspicuous house on that pretty little beach was where her best friend was being kept, where god knows what was being done to him. Some place under that roof, he was sitting. Maybe tied up, maybe hurt or even unconscious. No matter what state he was in he was wondering if she'd run away or if Sergei had gotten her. He was likely wondering if Connor was going to try and save him and worried that Connor and the rest of the guys would end up dead over it.

Now it fell to her to develop a plan to get him out, to get him home. She wasn't sure she could do it. Sitting on the floor, looking at the roof of that house in the satellite picture all she could think was she couldn't do it. She had no idea where he would be in the house or where the guards would be. How could she do it? How would they get in? What would they do with the guards they found? She had so many questions she felt her confidence in her ability shrinking away with every second she sat and thought. She wasn't strong enough to do it, to pull it off. She just couldn't imagine her being able to hold it together long enough.

She looked up and her gaze met Ivan's eyes first. Like he knew what was on her mind, what she was thinking, he moved to her side and crouched down beside her. He put his finger on the farthest corner of the pictured beach and tapped softly. "There is a road which runs down to this point. The road is on the other side of the neighbouring house so no one at our father's house will see us coming if we come up from the other way and turn down the access road. That is where we will park our vehicles. Then we will go onto the beach and cross over to Sergei's across the neighbour's beach. The back lawns of both houses are long and the security measures for neither place go that far down the beach. We will end up here." Ivan moved his finger over to the farthest corner of the beach front of Sergei's home. "There are trees all along the fence from this corner and they will provide us with some cover to work from. I was only there once but I remember."

"How can we trust him?" Danny Williams asked, angry with the whole situation.

"You've been to this house. Is he lying?" Kat asked, moving her eyes from her brother to the cop she was loath to trust, even though she knew they had no choice.

"No, he's not lying. That's how you'll find the lot laid out. But how do we know he's not setting a trap for us?"

"Because we all want our mother back. Listen, no one in this room has suffered at Josef's hands more than me. If I say I don't think he's setting us up then it's because I really don't think he is. I don't trust him, under normal circumstances I wouldn't even consider allowing him to help us in this, but in this case I know he wants the same thing we want. He's not going to screw us until he has what he wants. Since we can't go after my mother until the bitter end that means that Josef can be trusted until we have my mother back. When we have my mother back Sergei is as good as dead so there won't be a threat then."

"You haven't seen Josef in five years. You don't know what he can do, what he's capable of. If you'd seen him do what I've seen him do you wouldn't trust him now any more than I do."

"I was there when he tried to sell me rather then take care of me, remember? He was using me to further his business and was willing to get rid of me because taking care of me was a hassle to him. I was being raised by the staff and he hardly ever saw me anyway but I was still too much work to him. He wasn't even talking about killing me. At least that would be quick and relatively painless. He was going to sell me for money to someone who wanted to use me like a slave. I've suffered at his hands more then almost anyone else in the world and I still say we have no choice but trust him. Besides, Ivan's different."

"My father allowed me to think my mother was dead. He let me think that I failed to protect her and she died in a car wreck orchestrated by one of my enemies. I owe it to my mother to get her back from Sergei's clutches. She has had enough of her life stolen." Josef stood up tall and looked Danny in the eyes. "You have no reason to trust me, this is true. However, in this case my honour to my family is involved. I know from what I have seen her that loyalty to ones family is not all that important to you," Josef was clearly referring to Danny's abandonment of Nyssa, "however to me honouring my parents and family is very important."

Danny turned to Brian. "Now I'm getting lectures on family values from a man who tried to sell his sister to some old guy?" Danny was livid and clearly nearing the end of his patience. "I didn't sign on for this shit."

Kat broke in before Brian could say anything. "Listen," she said, still seated cross legged on the floor. "Josef has no right to comment on your situation with your sister, that much is true. It's also true that he wants to get his mother back. So can we just drop all the he said she said crap and get this done? This right now ain't about what Josef did to me or anyone else or what Officer Williams did to his sister. This is about getting Sean and Jesse first and foremost. So if we're going to land on the beach here," Kat pointed to a spot on the map," and use this tree line for cover, what do we do when the tree line ends?"

"We will need to stay close to the fence and take out the guards as we encounter them. Also, we will need to remove the bodies, hide them in the trees, or we will risk being discovered earlier then we would like." Josef answered.

"We cannot let anyone alert Sergei to our presence or we will not reach the other man in time. Sergei will either move him or simply kill him so stealth is vital." Danny added, calming down as he got back to work. Work was familiar. He was just planning for the other side this time.

"Where are we going to get into the house at?" Kat asked with a look that took in both her brothers and Danny.

"There is a basement window on the side of the house nearest the fence that will not be a problem to work around. It will be locked but it's small and as such was never fitted out with motion sensors for the alarm system. The lock it has will be no challenge for us to circumvent with a glass cutter. As we have said, this house is not as secure as most of Sergei's other properties."

"If I can get through to the back door I can disarm the system. Unless he's changed the codes I still know them all. He never once changed the codes in all the time I've been working for him so unless he's on to us I don't think anyone will have thought to change them now." Danny admitted with a grimace. He was getting more involved then he would like. He didn't want any of Sergei's men to see him because if they somehow managed to relay his presence to Sergei it would be a big head's up to the older Russian that something was up.

"The only catch with using the basement window is only the girls and perhaps the slim man will fit through it." Josef pointed to Leon when he said slim man. "Then they will have to journey through the house and allow the rest of us in the back door after disarming the system. If we go in any other way we will risk setting off the alarm. It may or may not be reported to Sergei if the alarm is triggered. It would be far better to simply have the girls and that man," Josef pointed at Leon again, "go in via the basement, trip up the stairs and disarm the system. They can then open the back door for the rest of us once they have the alarm deactivated."

"I don't like the sound of that." Dom broke in. "Just Letty, Leon and Kat? Kat's the only one who has much experience with weapons."

"Ivan would also fit through the window."

"What if it's me, Letty and Ivan then?" Kat offered.

"I'm in. I'm not going to sit back and let other people take all the risk. I'm in this thing too." Leon shot down her plan to leave him out. "I can take care of myself."

"Ok, then the four of us will go in the window. Do we have a floor plan for the house anywhere in this stuff?"

"Right here." Danny moved some papers and handed Kat a set of blueprints for the house. The basement was two big rooms, one on either side of the stairs. "We have the schematics for the alarm system too." He handed her another set of prints, these ones showing the location of all the cameras.

"It looks like if we hug the walls right under the cameras it'll be hard for them to pick us up." Leon said, looking at the schematic drawing.

"Yes, and the man watching the feeds can only see two at a time. Unfortunately one of the main one's he's going to watch is the one in the kitchen. You'll have to work fast to get the system disarmed and the door open for the rest of us. If you go to the key pad while the camera is on it's far sweep you might have about 30 seconds to get the door open and get back on the basement stairs before the camera sweeps back to a point where the door will be visible. Now, he might be watching that camera and he might not. We have no way to know until we get to the security control room and take the guard out. So we'll have to enter the house during the 30 second window where the camera is pointed away as well."

"There is one problem." Kat said as an issue dawned on her.

"What's that?" Dom asked when no one else seemed inclined.

"Danny has to leave here at 3 to meet Sergei's plane at 4." She turned to Danny. "You can't be with us when we go get Sean because we can't go until it's at least twilight and that won't come until 6 pm. You'll be long gone. You'll just have to make sure I know all I have to about both long beach and Bel Air before you leave in," Kat checked the clock, "half an hour."

"That could be an issue. I forgot I had to meet him so soon." Danny sighed. He couldn't do anything about it. He had to meet Sergei and that meant that the Toretto team and the Tigers had to know all he had to tell them and they had to know it all within the next half hour as Kat had pointed out.

"You're either going to have to tell us the best you can or you're going to need to try and get away from him by six and get back here to come with us." Kat didn't see any other way to get around the issue of Danny being the one who really knew the lay out of the properties, or at least being the only one really familiar with the long beach property.

"Ok, well, you already know how to get into the house and how to get the team in. I'll write down the codes for the door before I go and you can still just disarm the system and let the rest of your party in the back. Once that's done you'll need to move to the control room. There will be two men inside it. You're going to have to take both of them out before either has time to radio a disturbance to anyone else. That shouldn't be that hard because there will be a few of you in the house by then. This is the control room." Danny pointed to a small room off the study. The study was down a long corridor from the kitchen. "Once the control room is under your control leave someone there to defend it."

"How many guards are likely to be in this house?" Letty asked, trying to take all the information in as she knew when it was only her and Kat with Leon in the house they were going to need to have a good grasp of it all. Letty knew that both she and Kat would feel like they had to take care of Leon. Leon was a martial artist and in hand to hand he could likely out fight them all. But when it came to firearms he was under trained and they all knew it.

"There will likely be at least 10 and maybe 15 men left in this house. When Sergei is done using it there will be none but while Sean is there he will leave at least that many. I don't know where he'll have Sean, but it will likely be in one of the upstairs bedrooms. You'll just have to search and neutralize any of his men you encounter on the search. You'll have to leave either Ivan or Josef behind when you're done just in case someone tries to raise the house on the radio."

"Ok, so we basically need to take out every man in the house then?" Kat asked. She didn't look entirely happy about it.

"Not really. You need to subdue them all. You will likely have to kill anyone you meet before you take the control room, and you will have to stash all the bodies of anyone you need to take out. But you could theoretically simply subdue all the others you find after you have the control room under your control and leave them for me to pick up later. They'll all do hard time for organized crime related offences."

"We'll keep that in mind." Kat had enough blood on her hands in her mind. She was willing to do what she had to, but she also thought that if she had the chance to leave people alive she might want to take it. Some of the men working for Sergei likely had families who'd miss them. It was a harsh fact of reality in the mob. Sometimes men who were evil in their work were loving husbands and fathers at home. But the life and death nature of their job was also something they were aware they were getting into. But that didn't mean that Kat wanted to have more unnecessary deaths on her hands. She didn't know if it would be better for their families to know they were dead or to know they were in jail but she wasn't going to play god unless she had no choice. "What about Bel Air?"

"Well, we can cut across the Bel Air Country club grounds to reach the back corner of the lot. The lot is expansive so we'll have a hike through wooded terrain to reach the lawn. I don't know how worried about patrolling the lot Sergei is going to be since he's not expecting trouble and he'll need some of the men he'd normally have there moved to the 'Dragon's Gate.' But the house it bigger and there are more places he could have Jesse hidden."

"Where do we go in?" Kat asked, looking at the pictures of the outside of the house.

"The best way would be for you to climb the trellis on the back of the house up to the master bedroom balcony. Getting up to the house without being seen will be a challenge but obviously there are no cameras in the master suite."

"Where is the security room in this house?" Connor asked as he perused the blueprints of the house.

"Upstairs. That is the other beautiful part of going in via the master bedroom. But the security guard has the option to watch up to four cameras at once in the house and you can rest assured that he's often looking at the one outside the door of his room."

"So we have to bust the door open and take him out quick." Kat summed it up with a frown.

"Yeah, that would be the plan." Danny sighed. He didn't see how they were going to remember where all these rooms were without him. They couldn't stop to read out the plans in the middle of the houses. Like Kat thought of the same thing she looked up from the blue prints.

"How are we going to remember the layouts when we get to the houses? We can't take the blueprints with us after all. We may as well just hand ourselves over and let them win." Her face fell. She couldn't see a solution to the problem. She watched as Danny took out his cell phone and dialled.

"Yeah, this is Williams." He said, making it clear the call had been picked up at the other end. "I need some further assistance. I need about 10 headsets and someone to come help them run a command centre. I can't stay to do it, I have a meeting with the subject and I have to leave for it now." Danny paused as someone spoke on the other end. "Yes, if you could have him here in a half hour that would be perfect. I need someone here with those who remain home, someone who can read blueprints and feed the team who goes to the houses the info they need that they can't take with them." He again paused. "Yes, he'll do fine. Thanks Serge." Danny turned back to the group. "He's going to send over someone from the bureau who can talk to you all over two way headsets. They'll allow you all to communicate in hushed tones when you spilt up to search the houses and also allow the agent to communicate information to you while you're out there."

"That sounds like just what we need." Dom was clearly relieved by the information he was being given. "Too bad they don't have some computer expert who could hack into the security systems from here and alter the feeds so we couldn't be detected."

"That is a good idea." Danny picked up his phone again but looked up before he dialled. "Won't work in Long Beach because the system is stand alone. But in Bel Air, the system can be remotely viewed and controlled so I can't see why one of our computer experts couldn't breach the firewall and loop the feeds in critical areas to buy you a window of time. I'll see what I can do." Danny made his call. When he hung up he told them that someone was working on it and would contact the agent who came to run their radio if they managed to successfully rig the security.

"Things are certainly coming together." Kat said with a small smile, the careful planning making her feel much better about the whole situation.

"Yeah, it's looking better for everyone." Connor said, also sounding relieved.

Kat looked at Brody, one of Connor's men. "Take Sean's Triumph and hide it down that road. Don't be seen and come right back here. I want him to have his bike when we get out of the house."

Brody left to do as Kat asked and Connor moved to her side. "I don't want you riding that bike Kat. You drive better then you ride. Take your car."

Stacy, Kale and Leon all looked on like they were in total agreement. "You'll be safer in the car." Kale said as he met Kat's eyes with worry on his face.

"I'll be too conspicuous in the car. I couldn't hide that car to save my life. It's too flashy, to obvious and too well known. Sergei has seen my car. It was because I was posed with it in a magazine that he found me, remember? He sees that car anywhere then we're fucked here."

"She's right."

Kat looked up in shock as he supported her position on the whole car or bike situation. She couldn't believe that he was agreeing with her in any case, no matter what it was about.

"Kat's car anywhere near either neighbourhood we're dealing with is going to be a dead give away that something is up. She can't take her car anywhere near either house. Her car has tigers in a jungle on either side. That kind of flash is going to attract notice."

"Sergei doesn't know anything about the Tigers. Not unless Sean told him something." Connor pointed out. He was still doing his best to try and make sure Kat didn't ride her motorcycle.

"Sean wouldn't tell him anything and you know it." Kat snapped back at Connor, upset that he would imply Sean would snitch them out under any circumstance. "I'm riding my bike and that's final. I'll put the silencer in the exhaust and I'll be practically invisible on it. I can't silence the car or make it blend in."

Connor threw up his hands. "Fine, you win! Kill yourself on that damn bike if you want to."

"Connor, I'll be fine. It's not like you can drive up in the Mustang either you know!"

"I know, I'm taking the bike." Connor looked chagrined to admit it, feeling like a hypocrite since he'd never been as good at riding as Kat in the first place and since it had been just as long since he'd been regularly riding too.

What are you going to do about clothes?" Danny asked Kat. "You really can't show up to meet Sergei at 'Dragon's Gate' wearing a leather jumpsuit."

"I know. I'll wear something under it. We'll have time between getting Jesse and meeting Sergei anyway. If I have to I'll change then."

"I'm still not sure how we're going to keep Sergei from knowing something's up. This just sounds too easy." Danny ran a hand through his hair and sighed agitatedly.

"He won't do any of his own radio contacts. He doesn't deal with that stuff. Ivan and Josef will be able to maintain the radio contact enough to keep him in the dark about what's going on." Kat stood up. "I'm going to go get ready." She walked up the stairs and into the room that Connor still clearly considered hers.

She put on a pair of short shorts then pulled her leather pants on over them. She added a tank top next and pulled the jacket of her protective leather suit on. She moved into the bathroom and French braided her hair, knowing it was vital the white blond strands stay hidden and out of her way. She headed back down the stairs, helmet under her arm. She returned just in time to see Danny Williams getting ready to leave. It was quarter after three in the afternoon. She didn't know how she was going to make it through the three hours until they could leave the house. Danny left, promising the agent and his communications team and equipment would arrive soon.

"Are you guys all ready to go?" Her question was met with a chorus of variations of yes, but none of them were uttered with much conviction. She nodded. Kat noticed that Brody was back. The large black man looked upset with the turn of events. Kat walked over to him and looked up, feeling like a midget next to him. He was of a similar size to Sean. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't like knowing I was so damn close to him with nothin I could do. I just wanted to beat the front door down and take him back while I was there."

"I know, but we're gonna get him. I don't know what Danny Williams thinks or wants to have happen. As far as I'm concerned shoot to kill everything in this place that moves and isn't Sean. Ok?"

"I hear ya Kitten." Brody's eyes softened. "Why don't you stay here with the other girl, Mia isn't it? Don't wanna think about you doin this baby girl. Once upon a time it was how you lived. You're different now and it's better for you. I don't wanna see you back in this life Kitten."

"After this I'm out for good, you have my word. But this is something I need to do."

Brody nodded like he understood. Of course he understood as well as Connor and Stacy did. It was just more of the same for all of them. It was deeper then their normal shit but really when it was all boiled down to the lowest common denominator it was just more of the same daily struggle. "I'ma hold you to that. I don't ever wanna see you around down here again unless it's just to chill, ya hear?"

Kat giggled. "I hear ya. This is all over I'll be busy enough with my car. I got race wars and the rest of the import shows coming up real soon anyway."

"Good."

They all sat around and did their best to relax as they waited on the designated time for the start of their missions. Around four thirty the equipment arrived and the new agent, who identified himself as Miles, started to set it up. When he was done he started handing out headsets and showing people how to put them on. He had also brought with him body armour. When he was done the ten people going out on the mission were dressed up just like a swat team. They consisted of Kat, Leon, Stacey, Brody, Letty, Dom, Vince, Trey, Mike, and Connor. While more people from Connor's had wanted to come, they'd ultimately decided that any more people would just make it harder to get around and to hide.

With a glance at the clock Kat realized that getting ready to go had brought them to six pm. Go time. Kat turned to the assembled group of black clad temporary soldiers.

"Ok, it's time. Let's do this thing."


	73. Bleed into One

**Adrenaline**

By - _TempestRaces_

Chapter 73 – **Bleed into One**

**_Let's do this thing…_**

They left the house and walked out into the driveway, all clad in black clothes under black body armour. While some headed for their cars Kat and Connor headed for their bikes. Kat tossed her leg over the powerful machine and adjusted her position on the seat for comfort. She started to pull her helmet on over her head in preparation for taking off.

"Can you take someone on the back of that thing?"

The question shocked Kat out of her own world. She looked up. "Yeah, I guess so, if I take the cover off the cargo hold and put the extra seat on. It's not very comfortable and not everyone is good at riding a sport bike as a passenger. Why?"

"Curious. Be careful."

"I will be. I'll catch up with you there." She reassured Leon as he walked toward Dominic. He nodded in response to her statement.

With Kat and Connor on their bikes the remaining eight split up into two vehicles with Dominic, Letty, Leon, and Vince in a nondescript black BMW they did not want to know the origins of and Brody, Mike, Trey and Stacey in an equally mundane silver Mercedes. Of course, nondescript and mundane were relative terms. They were very nice cars but they would also be commonplace in the areas they were going into.

In a last minute decision Kat's brothers were split up and sent one in each car. Both cars had simply materialized and had either been stolen or provided by the LAPD. It was important for their plan that they be in vehicles that would blend into the affluent neighbourhoods they were venturing into. It wasn't as important with the bikes. The rich often had their toys, and the bikes wouldn't be in one place long enough for anyone to get a good look.

Kat paused again with her helmet under her arm. "Are we all clear where we're meeting? It's going to attract less attention if we all make our way down the access road separately and meet down there."

"I know where to go." Dom answered. He was going to be driving the BMW.

"I'm clear." Stacey added before sliding behind the wheel of the Mercedes.

"Ok, than it sounds like we're ready. It's starting to get dark so we may as well start down there." Kat put a finger on the clear apparatus in her ear. "Mike check, one, two. One, two." She fought giggling, finding the communication device novel, despite knowing the situation was nothing but serious.

"I hear you fine." Miles answered back directly into her ear.

"Damn, that shit's pretty cool," she said to her self as she pulled her helmet on at last, tucking her braided hair down inside the back of her jacket to keep it hidden. When Miles chuckled in her ear she realized that she could no longer say anything to herself. Until they all took off their comm. devices they could all hear every word any of the others said. Not to mention agent Miles. He was the only one who had any control over keeping his words to himself or sharing them with the group.

She kick started her bike and it turned over with a roar, the 1000cc v-twin engine vibrating enough to transmit a feeling of power to the rider, yet using a sophisticated vibration dampening system to prevent her teeth being rattled out of her head. She twisted the throttle, causing the engine to rev with a growl. Using her heel, she kicked the stand up and started to walk the bike backwards down the driveway. Connor instead turned his around and coasted down.

Both cars started up with highly refined murmurs. Each car ran like a well educated lady spoke, quietly, properly, but with power and distinction. The tamed lion act was all for show. Both used their classic exteriors to hide hearts of pure race bred decent, ready to run free at the slightest indication of trouble. Each of the vehicles could 'haul ass' if the need arose, though no doubt if the classy German cars could speak they would have a less crude way to phrase it.

At six pm the traffic was still thick as people left work and headed home for the evening. It was particularly thick when they got out of their own neighbourhood and started to move through the business areas of town. The wealthy business people were heading for home in the very areas that Kat and her friends were about to infiltrate. Perhaps some of the doctors, lawyers and other professionals headed out of Los Angeles were even neighbours of Sergei. Perhaps they knew what he did. Some likely only knew that there was something 'not quite right' about him. Still others likely had no idea what kind of person he was. And of all of the above, likely three quarters, no matter which way they felt about Sergei, wouldn't have cared less either way as long as he stayed out of their lives and business.

Kat and Connor dodged in and out of traffic, the jams and bumper to bumper traffic not slowing them down in the least. They were easily able to manoeuvre around the crawling vehicles, using them as poles to slalom around. It was orchestrated to separate them from the cars. It was of vital importance they not arrive in a large group. It would be too easily noticed by anyone who happened to be watching. Better for the two bikes to be seen 'hot dogging' it down the freeways and the two cars to make their separate ways. That way they would look like two spoilt children racing their toys, while the cars would blend in like two separate parties of commuters on the way home.

They all knew it wasn't likely that anyone in the target house would see them coming. It had a privacy fence and was set well back from the road to begin with. But it would not have surprised Kat to find out that at least one of the neighbours was also involved in Sergei's world and was keeping an eye out for trouble. The Russian man no doubt had his ways to be persuasive. He had certainly found a way to make Kat do as he said. It had only been her friends who had talked her into fighting back. To her way of thinking things had been hopeless and she had been ready to give up.

After about half an hour of driving they took the exit which carried them into the upscale neighbourhood of Long Beach. After a few turns they reached the private road Ivan had indicated on the map and turned down it. Each parked their bike in the underbrush off the side of the road and left their helmet hanging off the handlebars. Each made sure to point the bikes out toward the road just in case a quick getaway was needed.

"We're here," Kat said out loud, feeling more than a little stupid. It felt like she was talking to herself even though she knew that all the others could hear her via their comm. devices.

"The freeway was a little more challenging for us, we're likely another ten minutes out." Stacey's disembodied voice came back into Kat's ear.

"We're right behind him," Dominic added.

"We'll wait here in the trees at the corner of the fence," Connor said and offered his hand to Kat to pull her with him into the stand of leafy trees. The dusk was over under the thick foliage, and night had fully taken over. It was dark and cool in the full shade.

It was hard for Kat to get use to the fact she couldn't say anything to Connor if she wasn't willing to allow the other eight people with earpieces to hear it as well. There were things she wanted to say to him but they were things she wasn't ready to share with the group so she kept them to herself.

Just as she thought she was going to have to start pacing in the slowing decomposing leaves like a forest animal she heard the crunch of gravel under tires and leaned out from behind the tree she was standing behind to see who it was. Finding the black BMW she stepped out onto the road.

"Did anyone follow you?"

"Just Stacey," Vince answered as he alighted from the car. "What about you?"

"There's nothing that could keep up. Well, nothing inconspicuous enough to miss."

"So now what?" Letty asked, a hand on her hip.

"We wait for Stacey and the rest and then we go get this done," Kat answered. She was inpatient for things to get underway as much as anyone. She tromped back over to the woods and took a few steps in before trying to peer through to what was on the other side. "It's so dark I can't see a damn thing."

"There's nothing to see but trees anyway Kat," Josef answered. "The tree line is thick, especially at this point. We will have to cross down to the beach, across the neighbour's land and up through as second area of trees before we will reach father's land."

The second car rolled up. "Were you followed? Any problems?" Connor asked Stacey as he climbed out of the silver car which he had parked beside the BMW.

"Not followed, no problems."

"Ok then, I guess we're ready to get started," Kat said. They all started to make their way through the trees as quietly as possible. From what they knew there would be no guards so far from the house, no one expecting an assault team to spring up from the bush. They also knew they couldn't be too careful at this stage of the game. One false move, one wrong person seeing them and all would be lost.

After about ten minutes walking they came upon the edge of the thicket of trees. They left their cover and walked low across the beach, hoping the edge of the lawn would offer them enough cover that no one in the neighbouring house would see their travels.

After a further ten minutes of trudging through the dry sand they reached the second line of trees. It only took a few minutes for the group to dash single file up through the trees toward the house, along the length of the back lawn. The house became visible from their vantage point about half way through the length of the fence, but it was up a considerable expanse of lawn. The tree line continued up the fence another good distance. They were hoping the twilight hour, darkness of their clothes, and the element of surprise would keep them hidden.

Kat knew better than anyone that people most often didn't see what they weren't looking for. No one had ever seen their way to the real her, because no one was ever expecting to see it. It was far easier to see what you wanted to see, or what was obvious on the surface, than to look deeper and delve for the truth. Of course, that same characteristic of people was going to work for them tonight, or at least she hoped so. The Russians in the house and around it would not be expecting to see a swat team in the trees, so with any luck their mental schemas would prevent them from seeing one. Whether one was there no not.

When they had gone as far as the trees were going to take them they had a decision to make. They could dash as one group across the lawn to the side of the house with the basement window they needed, or they could go in groups of one to three and dash until they were all in the darkness at the shady side of the house.

"I think we should go in shifts," Kat started. "That way the people who wait in the trees can give cover to the people running across in the open."

"Makes sense," Vince agreed.

Everyone took a moment to check their weapons. One by one they all tucked their guns back into their holsters and stood at the ready, waiting to carry on.

"I'm going to go first. Letty and Leon you can come with me. Connor, you should wait until the last group. I want each group to have one person with good marksmanship in it. After the second group clears the lawn I'll start working on getting the window open. The three of us will get into the house while the rest of you keep cover. Then, you'll need to give us about ten minutes to get through the house to the back door to let you all in," Kat said. She was trying to organize things so in her mind everyone would be as safe as possible.

Just as she, Letty and Leon were preparing for their dash across the lawn Dominic stopped them. "Wait," he waited while they complied and returned to his side. "Are we supposed to shoot to kill any of the guards we come across? I'm not clear on this. Are we tying them up and knocking them out or killing them?"

"We're just going to have to play it by ear. We need to be quiet at all times. We can't afford to do anything that will bring the lot of them running to see what's up. If that means killing them than that's just what we'll have to do. If there are some we can subdue and leave for Officer Williams to collect than we'll do that too," Kat shrugged.

"Some of us don't have an instinct for when to kill and when to fight," Mike answered. "Where we come from if you're threatened you just shoot."

Kat tried to keep her calm. Mike had joined Connor after she had left so they weren't acquainted. She wanted to scream at the dark man that she was well aware how things were where 'he' came from because she'd grown up there. She wasn't just some Johnny-come-lately to the gang, that she'd been raised that way. She just didn't see how a fight with Mike was going to help them in the long run. He wouldn't see it her way no matter what she said. She became worried that Mike was a hotdog and was going to make trouble for them.

"Listen, it's not like I have some huge soft spot for Sergei and his hired goons, ok? I just don't see where it makes sense to kill everything that moves. When you fire a weapon at someone you don't know, you always have that slim chance that you're firing it at someone who's on your side. If anyone is threatened and you don't see another way to get out of the situation than shoot the guy. But if you could knock him out and leave him for pickup that would be the way to go."

Everyone nodded their understanding.

She decided that they were as organized as they were going to be with that decision out of the way. She looked at Letty and then Leon. They both looked nervous but resigned.

"Let's go," Letty growled impatiently.

Kat nodded. There was no sense putting it off any longer. She moved to the edge of the trees and heard Letty and Leon follow her there, their footsteps crunching in the twigs and leaves coating the ground. Without looking around to confirm their presence she dashed out of the shelter of the trees, streaking across the lawn to the side of the house. When she reached the darkness in the lee of the hulking home she turned back the way she'd come.

Letty and Leon stopped beside her seconds after. There were no shouts to herald their discovery. Kat's eyes scanned the tree line intently, seeking any evidence of the seven people who still waited there. They were well hidden, she couldn't discern anything out of the ordinary among the trees. Letty made a waving motion with her hand and the next group left the trees.

Kat was hardly surprised to see Dominic leading the charge. She hadn't expected Dom to allow Letty out of his sight for long. Joining Dom were Mike, Brody and Vince. As soon as the four men were hidden with them at the side of the mansion Kat hit her knees and took the glass cutter out of her pocket. She cut a half moon circle of glass out of the pane by the lock and snapped it with her finger, hoping the noise it made when it hit the cement floor of the basement room wouldn't be too loud.

The glass shattered with a soft series of tingling noises. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see if there would be fallout from the noise. There was no sound of running feet, no calling from one man to another for backup. Dom waved his hand, sending the next group of people running for their position while Kat pushed on the window and felt it swing open under her push.

"I'll go in first," Leon said, moving forward to lower his feet through the gapping hole in the side of the house, which showed nothing but a pitch black cavern.

"Its fine, I'll go first," Kat insisted.

"I'll go first so I can help you and Letty down. I'm taller," Leon stated and moved closer to the window. It was clear he was not going to be dissuaded.

With a shrug Kat allowed him his chivalrous sentiment, unwilling to fight about such a trivial thing as who stumbled around in the dark room first, waiting to help the next two people into the hell next. When she heard Leon's feet hit ground she motioned Letty to precede her. After she watched Letty's head disappear she turned to the group. "Give us a ten minute head start before you meet us at the kitchen door and we'll let you in."

"Got it," Connor answered. "Take care'a you."

"See you soon," Kat replied before sitting down on the due dampened grass and kicking her feet into the window. She felt Leon's hands grab her legs, his thumb sliding over the delicate yet strong bones of her ankles where they were encased in supple leather before grasping firmly and helping her slide down into the room with him. He held her close for a moment, during which she couldn't stop herself from burrowing her head against his chest, before he released her and she moved away.

"Can we have some sort of light?" Letty asked in a whisper.

"No," Kat whispered back. She was scared that any illumination in the room would show outside and have the potential to attract attention. "Not until we've left this room. Let's start feeling for the door."

They split up reluctantly, forced by necessity. Each felt their way through the room, reaching the wall and feeling their way along. Letty found the door, calling softly that she had done so. Kat and Leon followed her voice from opposite sides of the room, joining her at the still closed door.

Kat pressed her ear to it, listening intently. "I don't hear a thing."

"We've only got about five minutes of your ten left. We should get a move on."

"Ok," she slid her hand down and across the door until her seeking fingers found the knob. She turned it slowly and stepped backward, bringing the door with her. There was no light to speak of in the hall either yet all three stepped through the doorway into the unknown world beyond. Each had only a perfunctory idea of the layout to expect from the floor plans they had studied.

As their eyes adjusted to the lack of illumination, a line of soft light stood out. Seemingly floating high over their heads, it could be only one thing. The small amount of light allowed to pass under the bottom of the door at the top of the basement stairs. "Do you see?" She asked of the two people with her.

"Yeah," Letty answered. "Let's go."

Kat didn't answer. Rather, she started toward the light. Her booted feet made soft noises on the concrete. Her training in dance had taught her to step lightly and she put the skill to good use now. Letty and Leon's steps rang slightly louder, yet she still didn't think it would be detectable to anyone not in a very heightened state of alertness, not waiting to hear something just the same.

They started up the stairs single file, each with a hand on the rail to guide their way. From her place at the head of the line, Kat again pressed the side of her face to the door and listened for foot traffic. Hearing none she grasped the doorknob and pushed. The door opened on silent hinges. The door let out, as they knew, into a hall just beyond the kitchen where they had to be.

"The kitchen is a right turn from the basement stairs, right?" Kat asked.

"I think so," Letty answered. Under pressure, none of them wanted to be the one to make the wrong choice, to remember the wrong thing.

"The kitchen is a right hand turn from your current position," Miles answered over the wireless headsets they were all wearing. "The keypad for the security system is next to the back door."

"Understood," Leon muttered back and they all headed for the kitchen through the gloom. "We can't forget the security camera. We only have twenty seconds at a time where the damn camera can't see us."

"Assuming he's watching that camera," Letty answered.

"We have to assume he's watching that camera," Kat reminded the other girl. "We can't know if he is or isn't so we have to assume he is."

"The system is stand alone so I can't help you. You're going to have to figure out on your own where the camera is and when it will sweep back your way. I'd advise only one of you go to the keypad. The other two should remain out of sight of the camera but in a place where they can still offer protection and information. One person can hide easier than three."

"Understood," Kat whispered back. "I'm going to the keypad. You two can wait here. One of you watch the camera."

Before either of them could neigh say her decision Kat moved out around the corner and looked at the camera. It was pointed the other way so she dashed out of her hiding place and ran for the panel. She flipped it open. "I'm ready," she told Miles over the comm. link.

He fed her the numbers to push and she did so quickly before dashing back to where Leon and Letty waited. She made eye contact with Connor and held up a hand to hold him steady while the camera could see him.

Leon asked Miles where they were to head to after everyone was inside. He was given the directions to the security monitoring room on the first floor. "You haven't seen any guards yet?" Miles asked.

"No, no one. The place is quiet, but there are lights on here and there," Leon answered.

"Perhaps the house is less guarded than we even thought. Even still, you're going to have to scout the whole place and ensure you don't leave anyone alive there that can cause trouble for the rest of the mission."

"Understood," Kat answered and motioned Connor in. Everyone made a quick single file entrance and Leon motioned them down the hall. The waited until Dom brought up the rear of the group before joining the line, Letty moving in step behind Dom with Kat behind her and Leon in the rearmost position.

"Half of us might as well start searching upstairs," Connor said. "We can't all fit into the security room."

"Just don't let anyone see you," Mile's voice came back over the wireless connection.

"I get it already," Connor muttered.

"There's another camera in the dining room. There is one in front of the master bedroom as well. Stay to the left end of the hall until the control room is taken."

With a motion of his hand five people broke off from the group and followed Connor up the stairs. Kat watched him go before looking around to see who was still with her. Brody, Leon, Ivan, Josef, Vince. The security felt way too lax to her. Perhaps it was just that she was paranoid but she thought someone like Sergei should always be expecting trouble-even if he wasn't expecting it from her-and have tighter security. Yet they were all in his house and hadn't even encountered a single person.

There was little that could be done about it now. In they were and there was no turning back. She stretched her hand out toward the knob and drew her gun. There was no option for the man in the control room. If he didn't die than he would have time to use a radio. Kat knew he would have to die on sight and since in her mind she was the one to get them into the predicament she felt the need to take his death onto her own shoulders.

Slowly her fingers curled around the knob. Flexing her fingers around the cool brass she took a deep breath and let it out slowly before starting to turn. When she had the handle turned to the point she knew the door would fly inward with one good shove she paused, waiting to hear a cry of outrage or some other acknowledgement of her presence. None came. With a look at the other faces still gathered around her she nodded and with a violent thrust pushed the door into the room with a grunt.

As the man seated in a leather office chair started to turn with a startled yell and surprised look on his face Kat moved to pull the trigger. Before she could even take aim a small red dot appeared on the center of his forehead.

As though Ivan had known what she planned and didn't want to allow her to kill a man, he had gotten his laser sighed weapon trained on the man in a heartbeat. "Don't move," Ivan ordered in Russian. The watchman slowly raised his hands over his head.

"How many others are in the house?" Kat demanded, also using Russian.

The Russian guard sat silently, hands in the air. He didn't move to answer. Kat repeated her question in English. He sat there with the same stoic look on his face.

"He won't tell us shit," Brody said in discuss.

"Likely not, but he will not warn his comrades either." Ivan answered. He had Josef keep a weapon trained on the man and handcuffed him with a set of the cuffs they had been provided with by Miles along with the swat gear. They then tied up his feet and gagged him before they sent Brody off to carry him into the woods where he wouldn't be found.

They left Josef in the control room. Kat trusted him for some reason, where as she didn't totally trust Ivan. She wasn't willing to leave the very first part of the night's activities to depend on Ivan not betraying them. Brody went off with the man from the control room slung over his shoulder. He made it back quickly, unworried about being observed on a camera and giving the rest of the guards advanced warning. When he returned they searched the rest of the downstairs.

The found two guards, killing one and capturing the other, though not before he managed to kick Vince in the thigh. Though everyone knew the injury had to hurt they were all impressed with Vince's ability to ignore the pain and carry on. Once they had the whole downstairs secured they made their way upstairs and met up with the rest of the group.

"We didn't find anything but two more guards," Connor admitted, "but we only searched the left hand side like Miles said."

"We took the control room so we can search the whole upstairs now. How much is left?" Kat asked.

"Most of it," Connor answered. "We didn't want to get too close to the camera until we knew for sure that you were clear downstairs."

"Fair enough. Let's split up and finish the upstairs."

"I don't have a better idea."

They broke up into pairs and each took an unsearched room. Everyone understood the need to still be quiet as no one knew how many guards might still be present in the unsearched rooms and on the grounds.

Kat pushed a door open, aware of Leon right on her heels. Whenever it came time to go into groups he was never far behind her. She knew he was looking out for her in his mind but she was happy to let him think that way. It meant that he was close to her so she could look out for him. The relatively trouble free time they were having of it was nagging in the back of her mind but she didn't listen for too long. It felt too easy, but perhaps it was just also her turn to get a break.

As the door swung inward it let open into a pitch black room. "I can't see a thing in here," she whispered to Leon.

"There must be a light switch close to the door," he replied.

"But what if there's a guard in here asleep or something?"

"Use your flashlight to scan the room than," Leon suggested.

She listened, taking out the small penlight and flashing it around the room. Nothing was apparent. It was just a bedroom filled with ornate furniture including a four poster bed and an armour along with a high boy and a chest of drawers.

"There's nothing here," Leon said, disappointment colouring his voice.

Kat felt her shoulders sag in disappointment. She had been so hopeful of finding Sean in the room. Given that the room was empty she decided to walk in and look around anyway.

There was a muffled shot in one of the other rooms and a deep cry from a man as the shot found its mark. Both Leon and Kat spun around startled at the noise. The grunt had sounded an awful lot like Dominic. Without a second though Leon took off to investigate farther. Kat didn't follow. She walked over to one of the closed doors with a sigh. She was morbidly curious to see where the doors went. The first one opened onto an ensuite bathroom. It was plain and functional, just a bathroom. There was nothing else to be seen.

She backed out and left the door open behind herself. She vaguely thought of going to see if it had in fact been Dominic who had been shot, but decided that he had enough of his friends around him even if it had been. She walked over to the second closed door in the room and pulled it open.

It lead to a walk in closet. She couldn't see anything inside the dark room. The light from the hall didn't reach this far through the gloom of the darkened bedroom. She figured with the closet being windowless, it couldn't hurt anything to turn on the light. With that decided she felt along the edge of the closet door, looking for the switch. Her fingers stumbled over it and she flicked it on. She was expecting to flick it right back off again and rejoin the rest of the group in the hunt.

Finding Sean in the closet was the last thing that ever occurred to her. Why was he tied up alone in a closet? She was so shocked that at first she didn't move and couldn't speak. Why wasn't he aware she was there? The light was on now and God only knew how long it had been since the light had been turned on. Shouldn't that have woken him up?

With a soft cry her state of inactivity was lifted. She rushed to his side and fell to her knees in the well under padded carpet. His hands were tied behind his back, his feet were tied to the legs of the heavy chair he was sitting in. He head was thrown back, not in relaxation but either in sleep or a state of unconsciousness. Kat reached around behind him almost franticly to untie his hands.

There was a blackness around one of his eyes that even his dark skin couldn't hide. There were cuts across both of his cheeks. When she got his hands untied they fell to his sides limply. She worked on his feet before kneeling in front of him and looking up into his dear face. The cuts on his skin looked so impossibly red on his dark complexion. "Oh Sean," she sighed. They were too late. Despite his promises Sergei had beaten her friend to death. She bowed her head forward, her forehead to his knees as she fought her need to break down into great sobs, as though she was five again and allowed to give way to unrestrained sorrow. She fought to keep it in, her shoulders shaking with the effort.

She was so involved in her own world that it took her a moment to realise that something was touching the top of her head, stroking her hair back with the lay of her braid. She looked up, expecting to find Leon or Connor attempting to comfort her in her grief. The last thing she was expecting was to find Sean's chocolate brown eyes open and looking down at her.

"What the hell are you doin' here?" He croaked.

Kat laughed out loud at the question. "Savin' your black ass from another ass whoopin', that's what," she answered with a grin.

"You shoulda run off, taken care of yourself."

"I ain't a quitter and you know it," Kat said, looking up at the still seated Sean from her position on her knees in front of him. "'Sides, we got more work to do tonight. Get your lazy ass outta that chair!" Kat stood up and waited for Sean to listen.

"What'd ya mean more work to do tonight?" Sean asked, still sitting. He didn't want to let on he was having trouble feeling his legs, they'd been tied in one position too long.

"Asshole took Jesse too. We got another stop to make before we go to his office building and finish this once and for all. And that doesn't even figure in that I heard a guy that sounded an awful lot like Dom cry out after I heard a silenced gun shot go off. Let's go."

Sean stood up and swayed on his feet. "I'm just goin' to slow you down Kitten. I haven't had much to eat in the last few days and I've been tied up to this damn chair for the last twenty four hours. I really gotta use the bathroom."

"There's one attached to the room your in. We'll get you something in the kitchen before we leave. I got your bike stashed right next to mine. Let's go check on the rest."

They left the closet. Kat sat on the bed while Sean used the washroom. He came out with his face and head glistening with beads of water. It was clear that he had doused himself hoping the cold would wake him up, help him become more conscious. They left the room arm in arm and followed the noises the rest of the group were making as the searched. The found Connor searching with Brody one room over.

"Look what I found," Kat called softly as she entered the room, a huge grin on her face.

The two brothers hugged in a manly fashion when they were reintroduced to each other. Each put up the macho act men were so fond of, the whole 'I knew you were fine' load of bullshit. Brody thumped Sean on the back and the four left the room again, finding the rest of the team in another room. They were helping Dominic keep pressure on a wound to his upper arm. There was a dead guard slumped in the corner.

"You ok?" She asked as she walked in.

"Does he look ok?" Letty snapped.

"I'm fine. It's just a flesh wound," Dom said as he tried to make Letty stop fussing.

"Do we have all of Sergei's men, do you think?"

"Yeah, I think we do," Ivan replied, "and that worries me. If this is all the staff he left here than he's gathering them for something big elsewhere."

"Well then, I guess we better get out of here," Kat shrugged off the dire prediction. "We've got Bel Air to take care of yet."

They radioed the location in the woods to Miles so that the FBI could pick up the men they'd managed to subdue before they made their way back through the woods, back across the beach and back to the access road. They were short Josef, but they had gained Sean. The bleeding had been stopped on Dom's arm and Vince and Letty had tied a bandage around it.

Kat tossed Sean his helmet, still smiling. With Sean back everything was bound to work out. The three of them got on their bikes while everyone else piled into their cars. They were off for the next stage of their great adventure.

TBC.


End file.
